Wingman: Austin's POV
by 4everawriter
Summary: -SECOND INSTALLMENT TO WINGMAN- You've heard their story through Ally's eyes, but how about everyone's favorite blond? What was going through his mind when this was all happening? What were his real feelings with Cassidy? Or with Ally? Just like the title says, read 'Wingman' through a whole different view through the eyes of Austin Monica Moon.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! I'm baaack :D Here we are. The second installment of the 'Wingman' trilogy :D **

**I hope you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

_ "Hey! Trish here! If you got sent here to voicemail, that can either mean that 1) I'm ignoring you or 2) I can't come to the phone or 3) You're Austin Moon. If this Austin, then GO AWAY! Anyone else, leave a message after the beep!"_

I let out a yell of frustration as Trish's voice flooded through my phone. Voicemail. I didn't have time for this. As soon as I heard the beep, I didn't waste another second. "Trish! Look, I know you hate me right now because of what I did to Ally. But really, this is important! I'm in front of your house right now-"

Trish's front door swung open, almost hitting me in the face as I stumbled slightly. "You know Moon," she scowled. "I can't even look at you right now. How _dare _you come to my house after you broke _my_ best friend's heart?"

I barely heard her, the words coming in one ear and escaping out the other. "Forget that," I interrupted her, gripping her by the shoulders. "Where's Ally?"

From the way Trish was looking at me, I half-expected her to laugh in my face. "Do you really expect me to tell you?" she asked, glaring daggers at me. "Haven't you done enough damage to her?"

"It was a misunderstanding!" I said, swallowing the bundle of emotions that were crawling up my throat. "And I'll explain everything later, I promise. But please, I _need _to know where Ally is. I went to her house and she wasn't-"

"Shouldn't you be all lovey-dovey with Cassidy right now?"

I flinched at the mention of Cassidy, but ditched Trish's harsh comment. "Where's Ally?" I repeated. The Latina looked at me like I was just a wet puppy that she just kicked out into the rain.

"You're wasting my time," she said at last, about to slam the door.

My hand flew out, shoving it open just as it was about to close. "Please," I begged, feeling my voice start to crack. "Please, Trish. I-I'll do anything." My knees started to wobble. Trish almost looked surprised.

I almost knew what she was thinking: _the great Austin Moon begging on his knees in front of my very eyes. _But at the moment, I couldn't have cared less. I would have given the world just to know where Ally was.

Trish grew silent. "The airport," she said at last.

I felt my blood go cold. "What?"

"The airport," she repeated impatiently. "See Moon, this is all your fault. If you haven't acted so stupid before, Ally would still be here in Miami with _us. _Instead, she's on the next flight to New York. I can't believe-"

I didn't hear the rest of her guilt-lecture. And I probably never would. Because I was in my car before she could say another word.

My mind whirled at what Trish told me. _She's on the next flight to New York. _It was as if my body was on auto-pilot as I felt my heart stop. Only one thought seemed to be able to go through my head: _MUNY. _

* * *

'_Flight to New York City boarding.'_

I pushed through the never-ending crowds that were forming throughout the airport, earning me dirty looks. "Sorry," I mumbled as I stumbled past them, but they were the least of my concerns. _Flight to New York boarding. _

"Ally," I said under my breath as I skittered down the airport.

Adrenaline pumped through my blood. There was no way I was letting Ally step foot onto that plane. This was my mistake. This was a result from my stupidity. And I was going to fix it. Even if I had to fly to New York myself.

I was in such a mess, I almost missed her. But there she was, right in front of me. Her back was turned as she handed the attendant her ticket, but I would have recognized her ombre hair even if it was a mile away. _Ally. _

But my legs made no attempt to move, as if it was glued to the floor. _Move, _I ordered myself. _She's right there. Tell her how this was all a mistake._

Only when Ally took a step into the corridor did they listen. My voice kicked in. "ALLY! WAIT!" I yelled. The people nearby stared at me like I grew another head, but it was as if they didn't exist. "PLEASE DON'T DO THIS! WAIT!"

Ally froze mid-way into the corridor. Even from where I was, I saw her tense as she slowly turned around, her motions almost robotic. As soon as her eyes hit me, it was as if I was her worst nightmare as she flinched hard.

But she stood where she was, non-budging. The smallest trace of hope flared in my stomach as I approached her carefully. Every part of my body wanted to rush towards her and wrap her in my arms, telling her that it would all be okay. But it was as if coming towards a startled child. Like if I made one wrong move, and she'll be gone from my life forever.

As I got closer, the attendant stopped me, her lips moving but I hardly heard any words coming out. Pushing past her, I kept my focus completely on Ally, who was looking at me blankly, like I was just an empty space in her head.

"Please don't go," I whispered.

It was as if my words snapped the sense into Ally as she jumped hard, spinning on her heel without another glance. Then she did something that made me want to fall to the ground and curl up in a ball. She ran into the corridor.

My legs sprang to action. She wasn't going to get away from me that easily. I couldn't let the best thing that's ever happened to me slip out of my life like that. I didn't even hesitate to follow her into the corridor.

Ally was one step away from entering the plane when I grabbed her arm, jerking her back. I saw some of the passengers perk up behind us. Spinning her around, I forced her to look at me. I felt something sting my eyes.

"Please Ally," I said hoarsely, my words coming out in a jumble before I could even stop them. "I-I don't know what I'll do without you. I was so stupid. I've never made such a terrible mistake in my life. P-Please don't-"

Another voice cut me off. "Sorry Son," it said. I didn't even have to look back to know that it was a security guard as he grabbed my free arm. "No ticket means that you can't board this plane."

"Good bye Austin," I heard Ally say meekly. It was as if slapping me across the face as she gathered her bags together once again. Her face hasn't changed as her gaze on me still remained expressionless.

"No," I said, but it ended up as more of a croak. Swallowing hard, I tried again, "No. Ally, I can't do this without you!" I found myself nearly on my knees as Ally froze at my words. "R-Remember when we were younger?"

"I'm sorry Son," the guard said again. I wanted to tell him to shut up but nothing seemed to be processing through my head correctly as I felt myself start to lose it. A force jerked me backwards, back towards the airport.

_No, _it was as if I just got jolted back into reality. "You can't do this Alls!" Suddenly, I was almost glad that the policeman was there. Because his grip was the only thing that was keeping me from collapsing right on the spot.

Something seemed to break in Ally as I saw her eyes start to water. The guard slowly grew more forceful. I struggled against him, but it was like fighting against a brick wall. "I-I'm sorry!" I told Alls, feeling my breath start to go short.

Words start to tumble out of my mouth. Anything that would just get her to stay. "I don't care if you hate me forever, but just please don't go. Fine, you can give me the silent treatment; just don't get on that plane! Just stay in Miami!"

The officer almost pulled my arm off, jerking me back once more. Ally was full-on crying now, breaking my heart in half. We locked eyes, and for a second, it seemed just like old times. Before everything went wrong.

Memories flashed through my mind like a whirlwind. _Ally dragged her feet. "Worst. Ride. Ever," she mumbled, her eyes shut tight. I laughed/ Ally pounced on my back, squealing. "We did it!"/ "I love you Austin Monica Moon." _

As soon as it began, it ended when the last glimpse was gone as the plane door slammed between us. The guard put a hand on my shoulder, almost comfortingly as I couldn't draw my eyes away from the door.

That was it. I was done. I suddenly felt as if I couldn't breathe as everything seemed to collapse around me. "I'm sorry," the guard said again, but it was as if he was underwater as his voice swarmed in my head.

I didn't respond as my throat went dry. For what seemed like hours, I stared at the door. One piece of wood separated me from Ally, but suddenly, it seemed so much farther.

* * *

"Look, I'm really am sorry."

I couldn't help but glare at the floor in annoyance, refusing to look up. "Yeah," I mumbled. "I know. That's all you've been saying for the past ten minutes." _Manners! _I almost heard my mom scold me. Not that I couldn't blame her.

But when I looked up, there wasn't a trace of anger on Officer Berkley's face. "Look," he said simply. "You have every right to be mad at me, okay?"

"Thanks for the permission," I mumbled. "But it's kind of too late for that."

Officer Berkley frowned. "I was working on orders."

In every way possible, he was right. There was no need whatsoever to place the blame on him. He _was _just doing his job. I was the one who decided to follow A-Ally into the corridor and ditch all laws of having a stupid flight ticket in order to board a plane. _I _was the one ready to do anything to get her to stay with me.

_"I don't care if you hate me forever, but just please don't go!" _

Officer Berkley snapped me out of my thoughts. "So who is she?"

My head snapped up towards him in surprise. "What?" I asked in shock.

"The girl you were chasing after," was the blunt reply. "The one I had to drag you away from? The one who looked like she wanted to kill you on the spot? Who was she?" I felt a flash of pain go down my body as I shut my eyes tight.

_Ally. _

"Wow," I said raggedly. "Thanks for making me feel better."

Officer Berkley sighed as he sat down next to me on the curb of the airport, watching the cars come and go. "You know kid," he began. "You can sit here and mope and feel sorry for yourself. Or you can start telling me what's going on?"

I stared at him. He had to be kidding. He expected _me _to tell _him, _a total stranger, about my problems? Right now, all I wanted was to be alone. "Why are you even here?" I asked, it turning out harsher than I meant it to be. "Aren't you supposed to be dragging other people out of corridors right now?"

"Lunch break," Officer Berkley told me. "Now start spilling….uh…"

"Austin," I told him. "And what makes you think that I'm going to tell you-"

Officer Berkley cut me off. "Let's just say I'm curious about what I just witnessed in the airport," he shrugged. "So…Austin, you better start talking because I'm not leaving you alone until you do."

_What? _"You can't force me to-"

"I can if what I know so far is showing all signs of an abusive relationship."

I almost choked on my own spit. "What?!" I burst out. Did he really think that…that I would do something that would physically hurt Ally? I almost hated him for saying that. "There's no way I would even _think _about-"

"Can you blame me?" Officer Berkley interrupted. "Your girlfriend, Ally, is running away from you, sobbing her eyes out and looking scared out of her mind. And you're trying to go after her to the point where I had to drag you out."

Anger surged through my stomach. "Listen Officer Barkly," I growled.

"Berkley."

"Whatever your name is." _Manners! _My mom's voice cut in again. But I ignored it. "There is no way on earth that I would _think _about abusing Ally. She…" my voice started to make that awful cracking noise, forcing me to drop to a whisper. "…she means the world to me and I can't even imagine…."

I cut myself off as I realized that I was the worst liar in the history of liars. Because I _did _hurt Ally. I hurt her to the point where she said that she hated me. Officer Berkley seemed to notice my expression because he softened.

"Then prove me wrong," he said at last.

I scowled. I've never met someone who has gotten on my nerves so quickly than this guy. He smirked at me, knowing that he got me caught. He really wasn't leaving until I started talking. "Fine," I said grudgingly. "It started with this crush I had on this girl..."

**Woohoo! First chapter done :D How was it? I'm really sorry if it is sloppy. But I really wanted to get the sequel up since I started feeling really bad for making you guys wait so long. Thank you all so much for being so patient. I really want to finish HWGA (there's only a few more chapters left) before I go deeper into this story, so I'm really sorry if the next update is late. **

**Please R&R! Love you all :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys! I know I said that I was going to post a new chapter when I finished HWGA. But I was at a major writer's block and I didn't want to keep you guys waiting so here I am :D I hope you enjoy the next chapter. Thank you all for the reviews/follows/favorites. I never expected the first chapter to be this big of a hit :D Thank you! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Recap:**

Anger surged through my stomach. "Listen Officer Barkly," I growled.

"Berkley."

"Whatever your name is." _Manners! _My mom's voice cut in again. But I ignored it. "There is no way on earth that I would _think _about abusing Ally. She…" my voice started to make that awful cracking noise, forcing me to drop to a whisper. "…she means the world to me and I can't even imagine…."

I cut myself off as I realized that I was the worst liar in the history of liars. Because I _did _hurt Ally. I hurt her to the point where she said that she hated me. Officer Berkley seemed to notice my expression because he softened.

"Then prove me wrong," he said at last.

I scowled. I've never met someone who has gotten on my nerves so quickly than this guy. He smirked at me, knowing that he got me caught. He really wasn't leaving until I started talking. "Fine," I said grudgingly.

* * *

**Eight Months Ago**

Gorgeous… amazing… dazzling… _perfect. _Words swirled around my head as Dez rambled on about Trish de la Rosa, his new girlfriend. "I am the luckiest guy on earth!" he topped it off, throwing his arms up in the air.

I laughed, adjusting the backpack on my shoulder as we walked down the sidewalk. I've known Dez since middle school and for as long as I could remember, he has had a huge crush on the feisty Latina. And finally, at our senior year, he finally gained the courage to ask her out.

"Dude," I said jokingly. "You act as if she's flawless."

"Because she is," Dez told me, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I wasn't the smartest guy on earth, but I was pretty sure that there wasn't a girl, or person, that was 100% perfect. Dez must have seen the look on my face because he patted me on the back so hard that I almost stumbled into the road.

"Trust me," the redhead said. "When you find the one, you'll know." When I didn't respond, he nudged me. "Hey, it has to happen sometime."

I shook my head, catching on to what he was suggesting. "I'm not interested in finding a girlfriend right now, Dez," I told him. "It's our last year in high school and once college hits, I don't think I can handle a long distance relationship."

Dez shrugged. "It's up to you," he said. "But you have the whole female population in school at your feet." I flinched. Dez didn't seem to notice as he went on, "So whenever you're interested in double dating…"

* * *

_"Someone's a player."_

_ I frowned. Officer Berkley was not making it easy to like him. "I'm not," I protested, glaring daggers at him. I despised being labeled as a player, especially when all the relationships I've been in have been steady. _

_ Officer Berkley raised his hands in surrender. "Whatever way you want to describe it, you're a ladies' man," he said, looking as if he was trying not to laugh. _

_ If anything, that made me feel worse as I felt a pang hit me in the chest. If re-telling my story was supposed to be helping…it wasn't. And I was starting to see how much of a waste time this was. _

_ Getting to my feet, I took my car keys out of my pocket. "Well…thanks for everything Officer Berkley," I couldn't help but spit out. "But I have to get home. My mom wants me to come back before dinner."_

_ "Wait a second," Officer Berkley followed me as I made my way across the road, towards the parking lot where my car was. "You're just going to go like that?"_

_ I felt unnecessary anger crawling up my stomach. And I realized that it wasn't directed towards Officer Berkley. Seeing that I wasn't going to answer anytime soon, he picked up his pace. "I may have only known you for ten minutes, Austin. But anyone can see that you're crazy for this Ally girl."_

_ Ally. It was as if a stab in the chest as I spun around to face him. "What do you want me to do?" I scowled. "She's gone. You saw it yourself." I felt as if I just swallowed a bowling ball as my voice suddenly wiped out of my throat. _

_ "But that doesn't mean that you can't do anything about it."_

_ "What is that supposed to mean?"_

_ Officer Berkley looked at me in exasperation. "Go after your girl, Moon," he told me, looking as if he wanted to smack me on the head. _

_ But what he said made me stop short. Follow Ally…to New York. "I won't-"_

_ "Listen kid, you don't have to worry about the ticket," Officer Berkley told me, as if reading my mind. "I have connections, okay? I'll be able to get you on the first flight to New York, just say the word. But you have to finish your end of the deal."_

_ "My end of the deal?"_

_ "Finish telling me what happened."_

_ I barely heard what he said. It sounded as if everything was underwater as my mind went blank. The opportunity to get Ally back was right at my doorstep. To explain everything to her. To get a second chance. 'She wasn't going to get away from me that easily.' Wasn't that what I promised myself? _

_Officer Berkley waited patiently for my response. Without a word, I dug into my pocket, taking out my phone. On speed dial, I called my mom, who picked up at the second ring. "Austin!" she burst out. "Where are you?"_

_ "Hi Mom," I smiled. "I… I think I'm going to miss dinner."_

* * *

"Guess who."

I laughed as I felt someone's hair tickle my neck, her small hands covering my eyes. A quick scent of vanilla swept past my nose; a smell that I would have recognized anywhere.

"Taylor Swift?" I guessed hopefully, turning around from my locker to see Ally Dawson rolling her eyes at me playfully, her arms crossed.

"Ha ha," she said, biting her lip to keep herself from smiling.

I shrugged innocently. "Hey, it was a fair guess," I joked, dumping the rest of my books into my locker. As I expected, Ally sent me a disapproving look.

"Austin!" she scolded. "How can you even go to your classes with your locker-?"

"Don't worry, Alls," I assured her. "I'm fine. I love my locker like this."

Ally grumbled. If I learned anything about Ally Dawson, it was that she _hated _messy lockers… or anything messy for that matter. I ruffled her hair playfully, making her glare at me even more.

"Fine," she muttered under her breath. "But don't blame me if-"

The first bell rang, cutting her off from her lecture. I smiled at my best friend smugly. Ally laughed. "Don't think this is over, Austin," she warned as she hugged her books to her chest, already half-way down the hallway to homeroom.

I smirked at her. She knew as well as I did that no matter how hard she could have tried, that sentence would have never sounded threatening. It was as if Ally read my mind, making a face at me. "I'm working on it," she told me. I opened my mouth to speak, but she cut me off. "Don't say a word, Austin."

Laughing, I grabbed my books for my first period class and locked my locker. When I turned back, Ally was gone. Probably already in class.

I glanced at the clock in the school hallway. Thirty seconds. I broke into a run, skittering towards homeroom. I couldn't afford getting another late.

Turning a corner, I almost crashed into the school's principal, Mr. Burke. "Whoa," he said, quickly moving to the side as I ran past him. I turned around.

"Sorry Mr. Burke!" I called out down the hallway.

"No running Mr. Moon," was the only reply.

I slowed down into a walk, feeling Mr. Burke's eyes still on me. I looked over my shoulder to see him nodding approvingly at me. But he wasn't moving until I got into my classroom so I picked up my pace slightly.

Room C18. I let out a sigh of relief. I wasn't late. I reached for the doorknob. Before I could open the door, the bell rang…of course. Miss Dobbs **(A/N: Anyone remember her from Ally's POV?) **was going to kill me.

Bracing myself, I slowly opened the door, poking my head in. Miss Dobbs was half-way through taking attendance. As soon as she saw me, her eyes narrowed. "Mr. Moon," she said, her voice cold, which wasn't anything knew. "You're late."

_Late by five seconds, _I had to bite my tongue from keeping the extra comment from slipping out. "Sorry Miss Dobbs," I said. The English teacher rolled her eyes and gestured for me to sit down.

That was it. No detention. No death glare. I felt a strange sense of relief wash over me as I stepped fully into the classroom, closing the door behind me. As I made my way over towards my desk, Miss Dobbs went on with attendance.

"Cassidy Peeples," she called out.

All heads turned towards the back of a room. I perked up at the new name. _Cassidy_. I followed everyone's gazes until it landed on one person. I caught my breath, feeling my heart start to suddenly pound a mile a minute.

She was gorgeous. Blond hair. Bright blue eyes. A million dollar smile. It all equaled up to Cassidy Peeples, who gave everyone a small wave. "Hi," she said almost sheepishly, ducking her head.

Miss Dobbs went on without a second glance. "Dez Fisher," she called.

Dez. He was staring at me smugly and right away, I knew he saw the look I gave Cassidy. _Stop it, _I thought to myself. _You barely know her. You can't think that- _My heart was still pounding as I sunk into my seat. Whoa.

**I'm sorry if this chapter isn't the best. I'm really, really, really, really, really sorry. Thank you all for being so patient with me!**

**Please R&R :D Love you all 3**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone :D I'm really sorry for the late update. I wanted to finish HWGA this week, so I focused mostly on that. But I promise that the updates will be more constant :) Thank you all for the reviews/follows/favorites! They are amazing, especially when we're only on the third chapter :D I hope you enjoy the next installment of Austin's POV :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

The rest of my morning went by in a complete blur. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get Cassidy out of my mind. It's crazy, I tried to convince myself. This wasn't Cinderella, where at one look you fall instantly in love.

_It's impossible. _

Only when the dismissal bell rang did I remember that I was in school. "Snap out of it," I murmured to myself, getting up from my desk. I grabbed my backpack that was propped against my chair and threw it over my shoulder.

Next period was something I knew was going to distract me from Cassidy. Choir. If music couldn't get me to focus, I don't know what will.

I tried not to run towards Ally's locker as I followed everyone out of the classroom. To my surprise, my brunette best friend wasn't anywhere in sight. As soon as the thought passed through my head, I felt someone crash into me.

"Whoa," I said in surprise, my arms reaching out to steadily Ally, who looked like she had an over-dosage of coffee. I couldn't help but laugh. "Excited much?"

"Sorry," Ally said, her eyes dancing as she grinned at me. "I just got out of one hour of Calculus." I was starting to think that my hearing was off. Ally Dawson actually eager to get out of class? _The _Ally Dawson that gave me a thirty-minute lecture on how important it is to stay alert and eager for leaning?

"Ally Dawson actually bored in class?" I voiced my thoughts. Teasingly, I couldn't help but put my hand on her forehead. "Are you feeling okay? Are you sick? Abducted? How many fingers am I holding up?"

Ally rolled her eyes, laughing as she swatted my hand away. "I'm fine," she said, pushing me playfully out of the way to reach her locker. Logging in the combination, she opened the lock. "I just… had a lot on my mind."

I frowned. She seemed perfectly fine this morning. But Ally's intention was clear: she didn't want to talk about it. I couldn't really blame her though. She wasn't the only one that's been distracted today.

Against my own will, Cassidy popped back in my chain of thoughts. And before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "So did you meet the new girl today?"

_Stupid, stupid, stupid, _I resisted the urge to slap myself on the head. But it was too late to back out now. Ally already heard me. She paused, her hand mid-way from placing her books back in her locker. She glanced over her shoulder to look at me. "The new girl?" she repeated, clearly having no idea.

I couldn't help but feel surprised. For as long as I could remember, Ally had always volunteered to become a guide for the newcomers that come to Marino High, helping them find their classes and lockers for the first week. I was almost sure that she would have some knowledge of the appearance of Cassidy Peeples.

"Wow," I laughed. "You really have been a zombie all day."

Ally rolled her eyes at me as she shut her locker shut with a bang. "Shut up," she muttered under her breath. I laughed again, earning a glare from her.

For the next few minutes, we walked to the band room in silence. That was what I loved about my friendship with Ally. No matter what happened, there wasn't a time when I felt awkward with her.

Especially with our peaceful silences. I honestly loved it. Even though it may seem awkward towards others, I couldn't help but enjoy every moment of it. It just reminded me of how close I was to Ally. We didn't need to talk.

We just needed to know that we were there.

Our friendship was more precious to me than I wanted to admit.

But I just had to end it. "Her name's Cassidy," the words came out before I couldn't even process what I just said. Ally was just as taken back as I was because she stopped her tracks, blinking at me in confusion.

"What?" she asked in surprise.

"The new girl," I said, gritting my teeth in frustration towards myself. Why couldn't I just stay quiet? "Her name's Cassidy. She was in my homeroom."

Ally still looked confused, but thankfully, she didn't question it. "Oh," she said at last, the expression on her face indescribable. She seemed to be silently asking the question that I was asking myself: _Why are we still talking about her?_

The bell rang just as Ally and I stepped foot into the band room. Miss Hill, the choir teacher, didn't waste any time as soon as we took our seats. "Okay!" she said, her voice ringing out through the room.

A pin could be heard as the chatter slowly died down. Miss Hill smiled at the instant response. "Okay," she said, clapping her hands together. "Everyone, we have a new student joining us today! Her name's Cassidy."

_Oh no. _My heart sank. My train of thought inverted towards the blond, who got up from her seat to the front of the room, facing everyone. "Hi everyone," she waved, her voice confident. "It's really nice to meet you all and to be here…"

Against my will, I felt my heart start to pound again. Never in my life have I felt like this. For as long as I could remember, I couldn't remember a time when I was this crazy about a girl, especially one that I've never even met before.

But I couldn't help it.

I felt shivers go up my spine as I felt someone's watch invert towards me. Drawing my gaze away from Cassidy, I turned my head to see Ally staring at me, her eyes filled with what could only be hurt.

Suddenly, Cassidy was only a lost thought in my mind as worry hit me hard in the chest. "Hey," I said softly, nudging Ally quietly. "Are you okay?"

If anything, that seemed to make her feel worse as she sunk down into her seat. She let out a small nod. "Yeah," she answered back, her voice barely a whisper. There was no way that she thought that I would actually buy that.

"Ally-"

"I'm fine," she cut through, her attention inverting back towards the front of the room, where Miss Hill was talking. "Don't worry about me, Austin."

* * *

_"She likes you."_

_ I looked up at Officer Berkley in surprise. "What?"_

_ He leaned back into the airplane seat, unbuckling his seat belt as he made himself comfortable. "This girl you're crazy for," he said. I flinched. _

_ "This girl has a name you know," I said in annoyance. _

_ Officer Berkley narrowed his eyes at me. "Listen Austin," he said after a moment of silence. "This is going to be a three hour flight so I think that we should at least try to make an effort to get along, okay?"_

_ I sunk into my seat. Officer Berkley was not making it easy to get along with him. It's only been five minutes into the flight and I already can't stand him. It's for Ally, I reminded myself. "Fine," I said grudgingly. _

_ Officer Berkley looked satisfied with my response because he smiled. "Good," he said, nodding slightly. "So what happened next?" _

* * *

Ally wasn't at lunch. And saying that I was worried would have been an understatement. "Hey Austin," Dez greeted me, looking up from his conversation with Trish as I sat down at our usual lunch table.

"Hey," I said, putting my lunch tray down. "Have you guys seen Alls?"

Trish shook her head, taking a large bite out of her sandwich. "Nope," she said, popping the 'p'. "I haven't seen her all day since Calculus when-" she cut off abruptly, eyeing me as if I just announced that I was a murder suspect.

I leaned away from her. I'll admit that Trish could get scary at certain points. I looked at Dez questioningly, but he looked just as confused as I did. "Okay," I said, getting up from my seat, cutting through the slowly growing tension. "I'm going to go look for her again. I'll see you guys later."

Trish reached over to my seat, taking the untouched macaroni and cheese that was on my tray. She looked at me hopefully. I waved my hand, gesturing for her to take it. "Go ahead," I told her. The Latina grinned at me.

I pushed my chair under the table, making my way through the cafeteria. I already had an idea where Ally was. Quietly slipping through the hallways, I was half-way to the band room when my suspicions got confirmed.

_"If you want to fly, I will be your sky," _a familiar voice sang.

I smiled to myself, slowing down my pace. I turned a corner, and sure enough, Ally was there. I stepped fully into view, watching her as her fingers skimming over the piano keys, her eyes closed shut. _"Anything you need, that's what I'll be."_

The song was good. _Really _good. Ally's angelic voice filled the room, making something stir under my stomach as I watched her. _"If you want to climb, I'll be your ladder. If you want to run, I'll be your road." _

For as long as I could remember, Ally had a massive stage fright. The only people who had ever heard her sing were me and her little sister, Beth. And every performance, Ally had never failed to amaze me.

_"You can come to me," _Ally finished, her voice confident.

Her voice touched me hard. As cliché as it sounded, it was true. Ally opened her eyes, playing the last chord. I smiled, feeling the warmth her performance spread throughout my whole body. I didn't hesitate to cheer.

"That was amazing!" I clapped, cupping my hands over my mouth.

I almost forgot that she didn't know that I was here. Ally jumped hard, falling off the piano bench in surprise. "Austin!" she scolded, grasping her heart as if I just stabbed her. She slowly got up from the floor, glaring at me.

"Sorry," I laughed. Ally gave me a pointed look. I smiled, coming to sit down next to her on the piano bench. "I've been looking all over for you. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at lunch?"

Ally shrugged. "Yeah," she said simply. "I just thought of some lyrics I had to get out." She picked up the worn out, leather book that was on the grand piano, clutching it to her chest. I smiled at her protectiveness. Ally had always been fond of her songbook. To her, it was worth more than gold. "I didn't want to forget it."

"It was great," I told her. And I couldn't have been more serious about my words. Ally was the most talented performer I knew. She could easily become an overnight hit if it wasn't for her stage fright. "You should show it to Miss Hill."

Ally's eyes narrowed, observing me to see if I was kidding. When she realized that I was dead serious, she frowned at me. "You know I can't do that."

I frowned. Ally's talent was way too good to be hidden. And the song she just wrote proved it. "Pwetty pwease?" I tried again, pulling off the puppy dog eyes that she often called a 'curse to human nature'.

Ally turned away. "It's not going to work this time, Austin."

She was stubborn. We both knew that. Normally, I would drop the subject. But I could still hear Ally's voice ringing in my ear. And suddenly, I was determined to let everyone hear her talent. Ally must have taken my silence as a warning because she turned back to me. "Oh no, Austin, don't-"

Too late. I grabbed Ally by the waist, pulling her closer to me as I began to tickle her. Ally Dawson's greatest weakness: she was e_xtremely _ticklish. Her reaction was immediately. She shrieked, trying to push away.

"AUSTIN! No…stop….please!" she managed to get out through her laughter.

I resisted the urge to laugh as I ticked her harder on her stomach, the place where I knew she was the most vulnerable. She let out another shriek, struggling. I wrapped my arms around her, keeping her firmly in place.

She crumpled to the ground and I came tumbling down with her.

"A-Austin," she got out. "P-Please….Stop…I-I'll…Do…Anything."

I smirked, biting my lip to keep myself from smiling. "Anything," I repeated. "Hm…" I gave her another tickle, and she squirmed as if I just shot her. "…Anything…like showing that song you just sang to the whole class tomorrow?"

Ally's breath came out ragged, trying to catch her breath. It took her a moment to gather her thoughts before she managed to say, "Tomorrow's…a…Saturday."

"Monday then," I insisted.

In my arms, Ally hesitated. I smiled. I was so close. Giving her one last tickle, I knew I had her. "F-Fine! I-I'll s-sing…that stupid s-song on M-Monday," she panted. "J-just please stop t-tickling me!"

Stopping, I smiled in triumph, allowing Ally to take a second to catch her breath. That's when I realized our position. I looked down at her, her petite figure in my arms. And suddenly, I was the one who had trouble breathing.

Ally pushed out of my arms before I could react. Her eyes were glazing with anger, as if she just realized what I forced her into doing. She slapped me hard on the arm. I let out a yelp. She might be small, but her hits _stung. _

"Ow!" I said in shock, grasping my arm. "That hurt!"

"Really?" Ally spat out mockingly. "Because I meant for that to tickle."

I narrowed my eyes at her and she glared right back. And all chaos broke loose.

Someone cleared her throat. Both Ally and I snapped our heads towards the person. "WHAT?!" we yelled in unison. And only then did I realize who it was. I felt the blood drain from my face. My heart sank.

Cassidy looked at us questioningly, almost looking as if she was trying hard not to laugh. "Am I interrupting something here?" she asked, biting her lip.

I recovered from the slight shock. "No!" I assured her.

Looking at Ally, I saw her almost speechless. After meeting my eyes for a moment, she swallowed hard. "Sorry," she apologized, looking as if she just saw a ghost. "We're like that all the time."

Cassidy laughed and it was as if jolting me, feeling as if I just got hit. And there it was again. The sensation that made me suddenly feel like I owned the world. One glance at her and my heart started racing. It was official, and I didn't even try to deny it anymore. I, _Austin Moon_, had a crush on the new girl.

If only I knew how wrong I was.

**How was it? Please R&R! **

**Just for fun, I was wondering...what OC do you like the best in Wingman so far? The three contestants *drum roll***

**1. Beth**

**2. Linda**

**3. Officer Berkley **

**It was just a fun little poll I wanted to do, plus I was curious :D**

**Thank you all again for all the support and...EVERYTHING! I wouldn't be here without you guys :) Love you all! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! First off, WOW! I can't believe we made it 100+ reviews on the third chapter! Just...Wow! Thank you all so much! That's amazing! Keep it up :D **

**And as for the Favorite OC poll... drum roll please... LINDA won :D So she'll have the honor of doing the disclaimer today :)**

**Linda: Whoohoo! Thank you all for voting for me. It's great to be back-**

**Me: Um...Linda? The disclaimer?**

**Linda: Hush child. It's not polite to interrupt your elders.**

**Me: But-**

**Linda: Again with the interrupting! **

**Me: Fine. But can you please quicken it up? People want to get on with the story. **

**Linda: ****_Fine. _****Alexia, otherwise known as 4everawriter doesn't own anything.**

**Me: Well... I ****_do _****own you. I created you. **

**Linda: Well that's a horrid thought.**

**Me: -_- **

* * *

_ "And you said you aren't a player."_

_ The possibility of throwing Officer Berkley off the plane was gradually inclining. I grit my teeth, feeling myself stiffen. Officer Berkley didn't seem to notice as he popped open the small bag of pretzels one of the stewardesses gave him. _

_ "I'm not," I insisted. _

_ Officer Berkley crunched on one of the pretzels. "You're falling for a girl that you hardly said two sentences to. I think that's a good dictionary definition of-"_

_ I scowled. "I didn't know any better, okay?" I grumbled, sinking so low into my seat that I was one movement away from the ground. "I don't know what was going on with me. She was just so pretty and nice and-"_

_ "And you're a hormonal teenager," Officer Berkley agreed. "I get it."_

_ "What? No!" I sputtered out._

_ Officer Berkley looked as if he wanted to laugh in my face. "Right."_

_ If it was even possible, I felt even worse. I didn't like being reminded of Cassidy, who happened to be the worst thing that's ever happened in my life at the moment. Officer Berkley must have noticed my look because he softened. _

_ "Hey," he said, nudging me hard on the shoulder. "I'm sorry."_

_ I let out a deep breath. "I don't want to talk about it," I mumbled. _

_ "Well you're going to have to anyway," Officer Berkley noted. _

_ "Great," I muttered under my breath. "So later after school…"_

* * *

"Awww, Austy has a crushy."

I found myself blushing hard. Dallas smirked as he watched me gather my books together, dropping them into the backpack propped against my locker. "Shut up," I slapped him over the head, making him laugh even harder.

Dallas grinned. "So…the new girl, huh?" he asked, snickering.

Sighing, I zipped up my backpack, throwing it over my shoulder. "Okay, what do you want Dallas?" I asked him, crossing my arms. My friend looked at me, gasping in mock hurt. He took a step back, grasping his heart like he got shot.

"What makes you think I want anything?" Dallas asked. I sent him a pointed look. He threw his hands up in surrender. "Honestly, I'm not asking for anything. I'm just…curious. I thought Ally would be the first girl you would actually-"

His voice got drowned out as I felt myself choke on my own spit. I coughed hard, pounding on my chest a few times before recovering. "What?!" I asked, half in shock, half in disbelief. Ally and I… did he really believe-

Dallas laughed. "Dude," he said. "I don't see why you're so surprised."

Unnecessary panic started to rise up in my stomach. "What?" I repeated.

"It's not just me, Man," Dallas assured me, patting me on the shoulder. "For years, everyone has been waiting for you two to finally admit the fact that-"

_Ally and I were…together. _I felt my face grow hot. Why was I getting so flustered over this? "A-Ally's my best friend," I stammered out. "She means the world to me, but it's not like there's anything…relationshipy going on."

Dallas smirked. "Realtionshipy?" he snickered. When I failed to give a response, he laughed. "Don't worry about it, Austin. I get it. You both are just friends. There's no need to get defensive."

"I'm not defensive," I insisted.

"Whatever makes you sleep at night," Dallas shrugged.

I let out a breath. What was wrong with me? There was nothing to hide. Ally and I were just friends. Really, really, really, really, _really _good friends.

Then why was my heart still pounding from Dallas's accusation?

* * *

"Omigosh, are you okay?"

I groaned in pain, getting to my feet. Cassidy looked as if she was trying hard not to laugh as she helped me up. "Yeah," I grimaced. "I'm feel great."

Cassidy wasn't doing too well at hiding her smile. I rolled my eyes, my head still throbbing from where it came in contact with the school locker. She looked at me apprehensively. "Go ahead," I told her, cracking a smile.

* * *

_"You crashed into a locker?" Officer Berkley laughed. _

_ I frowned. "Haha," I said drily. "It wasn't my best moment, okay?" _

_ "You bet it isn't," Officer Berkley agreed. "How is it even physically possible to-"_

_ "Anyway," I said, putting as much emphasis as I could on that one word. Like I said before, it wasn't my finest moment. I was distracted. It was as if the mere sight of Cassidy put me in a trance. Five seconds later, I was on the floor. _

_ Officer Berkley was still snickering. "Way to get your girl, Moon."_

_ "She's not my girl," I said, a little too harshly. Ally. I cleared my throat, trying to swallow the sob that was slowly crawling through my body. "Anyway…" _

* * *

Cassidy burst out laughing, trying to hid_e _the majority of it with her hand. But nothing could change the fact that her face was turning red by the minute. I looked at her indignantly. "It wasn't that funny," I pouted.

If anything, that made Cassidy laugh even harder. "Maybe you should have eyes on the side of your head too so you don't crash into another locker."

A smile grew on my face. "Are you kidding?" I joked, popping my imaginary collar. "I crash into lockers all the time." Cassidy broke into another fit of giggles.

"So what are you doing here?" she asked, closing her locker, her voice still trembling with laughter. Her eyes looked at me curiously. "Because I'm pretty sure that you didn't just come here to almost get a concussion."

I felt the wind just got wiped out of me as I suddenly remembered why I was here in the first place. Words got jumbled in my mouth. _Just say it, _I ordered myself. "Well…" I stammered, rubbing my neck. "I was wondering if-"

Before I could finish my sentence, footsteps broke me off, echoing down the fairly empty hallway. "Austin!" a familiar voice called out breathlessly. Both Cassidy and I turned to see Ally running towards us.

"I've been looking all over for you!" she told me, slowing down as she approached. She looked as if she just ran a mile, her cheeks flushed, bending over to her knees, breathing heavily.

It wasn't her fault, but I couldn't help but feel annoyance crawl up my stomach. Just when I was about to ask Cassidy out… Ally must have noticed my look, because she glanced at me almost hurtfully. Guilt hit me on the chest.

Cassidy didn't seem to notice. "Hi Ally!" she chirped.

Ally smiled. "Hi," she greeted, but her eyes hardened. Turning back to me, she asked, "I was wondering if you could drive me to pick up Beth. My car broke down a few days ago and it's too far to walk to her school."

It took me a moment to process her words. _Beth. _I brightened. "Sure!" I said almost immediately, already taking the keys out of my pocket.

* * *

_"Beth?" Officer Berkley repeated. _

_ I nodded. "She's Ally's little sister," I said, smiling slightly. Against my will, I felt my voice crack. Forcing it down, I went on, "She's the cutest thing ever."_

_ Officer Berkley looked at me questioningly. "What's wrong?"_

_ I shook my head. He'll find out soon enough. I felt my throat tighten at the thought. "Nothing," I said, my voice feeling like it's just been choked. Beth. _

* * *

I opened the door to my car, bowing playfully. "Ma-dam," I said, trying to mimic a British accent. Instead, it sounded more like a cat getting strangled. Ally stood across from me, he arms crossed, looking at me knowingly.

I didn't even have to ask to know what she was indicating. I looked at her in exasperation. "Please Alls," I begged. I clutched my keys to my chest. "I promise we'll get there in one piece this time." _Hopefully, _I added silently.

"That's what you said 'last time'!" Ally insisted, reading my thoughts.

She got me. Saying that I was a good driver would be an overstatement. And Ally's been in the car with me enough to know that. I tossed her the keys, which she caught with one swift move of her hand. "Let's try getting there before we're eight, okay Alls?" I said, not necessarily joking.

"No promises," Ally laughed, sliding into the car.

Ally plugged the keys in and turned. My mouth opened in warning, but it was too late. The radio blared to life. Ally jumped out of her skin, music booming throughout the car. I laughed and lowered the volume.

"Gosh Austin," she gasped, her eyes wide. "How are you not deaf?"

I shrugged, flipping through the different radio stations. Ally pulled out of the school driveway. '_Right from the start, you were a thief who stole my heart,' _her favorite song came on. Just as I expected, Ally let out a small squeak, looking at me hopefully. Smiling, I stopped at the station.

She grinned at me. Something surged down through my body. _Stop it, _I ordered myself. What was going on with me? "Just give me a reason, just a little bit's enough," Ally's quiet voice brought me out of my thoughts.

I smiled at her. Nudging her, I almost caused her to lose grip on the steering wheel. We came to a stop at a red light. "Austin!" Ally turned to me.

Ignoring her glare, I grinned at her. "C'mon Alls," I encouraged, prompting her. "Sing your heart out." Ally rolled he eyes at me.

"That's not going to be happening anytime soon," she told me.

"But you're going to have to do it anyway on Monday."

Maybe it was a bad idea reminding her. Ally glared at me, annoyance filled in her eyes. "I'm still mad at you about that," she said, remembering what she agreed to in the band room.

We drove in silence. I didn't regret forcing Ally into performing on Monday. But Ally looked scared out of her mind as she swallowed hard. "What if I sing it with you?" I blurted out, the words coming out before I could stop it.

Ally stared at me in surprise. I felt my mouth go dry. "I mean," I stammered. "You might feel more comfortable if you have someone else to sing with."

"Or you can just call this whole thing off," Ally's voice rose hopefully.

I laughed. "Not happening Alls," I said.

She pouted, sinking into her seat as she continued to drive. I waited for her reply, but it didn't look like she was going to be talking anytime soon. The more I thought of it, the more I like my idea. Singing with Ally.

We have performed together for Beth before. And I never thought that my voice could go with someone else's as well as Ally's. It was as if they blending perfectly together. As if they were made for each other.

The thought, for some reason, made me blush. Ally didn't seem to notice as she parked the car into the parking lot. We both got out of the car. Beth was already waiting for us outside. As soon as she saw us, she jumped to her feet so fast that I thought she was going to fall over.

"Austin!" she yelled, stumbling slightly. I caught her, laughing, "Whoa."

"Hey Beth," I grinned, picking her up, swinging her slightly. She squealed loudly. I felt something stir under my stomach, feeling as if I just got hit with a bucket of cold water. Like I turned the clock and became five years younger.

I set Beth down, who was still laughing. I looked up at Ally and saw her smiling at us. Something was in her eyes that I couldn't identify. "So how was kindergarten Beth?" she asked, kneeling down to be eye level with her sister.

"It was fun!" Beth said cheerfully. She waved a piece of construction paper that was in her hands. "I got a…" she tilted her head. "…an in-nvi…" she furrowed her eyebrows in thought, struggling to pronounce the word.

Both Ally and I laughed. "Invitation," she offered.

"Yeah!" Beth nodded enthusiastically. "I got an invitation!"

She handed it up towards me proudly. I took it carefully, reading over it. _"You're invited!" _it read in brightly bold letters, all colored in with crayon.

"Do you think Daddy would let me go?" she peered up at me.

Ally answered for me. "I'm sure he would, Beth," she assured her. "We can ask him at home." She slipped Beth's small backpack off her shoulders, gripping it with both hands, taking the weight off of her sister.

Beth beamed at her. "Okay," she agreed happily. Looking up at me, she tugged on my jeans. "Let's go Austin. Bend down." I obediently bent down and she hopped on my back. I felt her small hands wrap around my neck.

"Airplane!" I yelled. Beth giggled as we took off. I outstretched my arms. "Hold on tight," I told her. She let out a squeal of delight as we went around in a circle, directing towards my car. "And here we are," I said.

Setting Beth down gently on the road, she climbed off my back. "Thank you Austin," she beamed at me. I smiled unlocking the car and opening the door for her. She climbed in, hopping onto the spare car seat that I always carried.

I leaned in, helping her buckle up. "Austin?" Beth asked curiously.

"Yeah?" I clicked in the seatbelt.

"Do you like Ally?"

I almost hit my head on the car roof. "What?"

Beth looked at me with wide eyes. "Do you like Ally?" she repeated.

Why did it seem like this question was coming up everywhere I went? "No!" I said a little too quickly. Beth looked at me in confusion. "I mean," I stammered. "Ally's great. I like her a lot, but not like-like…." I found myself rambling.

Beth seemed confused for a moment, tilting her head. "So like Cinderella and her animal friends?" she asked, still clearly trying to make out what I was saying.

I smiled. "Sure," I agreed. I was about to go towards the shotgun seat towards the front when Beth stopped me, "I think Ally likes you."

Jumping up in surprise, I hit my head on the top of the car. "Ow!" I yelped, but I barely felt the pain. Beth looked at me innocently. "Um…" I fumbled. "What…what do you mean?"

Beth gave a small shrug. "She looked at you like you were her prince."

I gawked at her, feeling an unknown feeling start to buzz through my veins. _I think Ally likes you, _her voice pounded through my head. I tried to dismiss Beth's theory. She was five. She didn't know any better….

….right?

**Wow. That took a while to write, but I sort of like how it turned out :D**

**Anyway, thank you again for all the reviews. I'm going to try and answer back to as many as I can today :)**

**I like cheese: **Yep! _Wingman _is officially a trilogy :D After this story ends, there is going to be another one.

**BestPersonEver: **OMG! Thank you so much! You're review meant so much to me :) And I _love _Once Upon a Geek. It's amazing :D

**WritermeAL: **Lol, I know right? It was physically painful for me to write the whole Austin-likes-Cassidy romance ;)

**Rossome143yaknow: **Thank you so much for your review. It really made my day. Austin _is_ on the plane with Officer Berkley :D

**ItsYaGirlTerTer: **I'm sooooo happy you think that because I tried to make it as different from the original Wingman as possible so it wouldn't feel like you are all re-reading the same thing :D

** : **Thank you! :D

**Brepink101: **OMG! It's as if you just read my mind ;) That's honestly exactly what I was thinking. Only time will tell ;)

**Ashray4: **Thank you so much! I'm so happy you loved the OCs, because honestly, Wingman was the first time I used any of them :D

** / Ausllylove2345 / Whiteflower213 / DisneyLover16: **I know! Beth is one of my favorite characters. Fun fact of the day: she's actually based off of my little sister ;)

**Thank you all again for all your reviews! I loved every. single. one. They were all just amazing and put a smile on my face :D You guys are the best :) Thank you all again! Love you 3**


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow! This is amazing, guys! 161 reviews and we're only on the 5th chapter! Wow! Thank you all so much! You have no idea how much I appreciate all of this. You guys are AMAZING, and never forget that :D **

**Me: Okay, so I invited Beth to do our disclaimer today!**

**Beth: What's a...d-d-disc-?**

**Me: Disclaimer?**

**Beth: Yeah! What's a dis-claim-er?**

**Me: Oops. Oh yeah, sometimes I forget you're five. **

**Beth: Is that a good thing?**

**Me: ...Anyway. A disclaimer is a note saying that I have no ownership over this story. **

**Beth: What does ownership mean? **

**Me: Well, it means that- why am I explaining this to you? We should get back to 'Wingman: Austin's POV'**

**Beth: But how about the dis-claim-er? **

**Me: Don't worry, Beth. I think that everyone gets it. **

**Beth: But I don't. **

**Me: I promise I'll explain it to you later, okay? **

**Beth: But-**

**Me: And now back to the story!**

* * *

The whole car ride back to Ally's house, I couldn't get what Beth said out of my mind. _Ally likes you. _The three words pounded in my head. No matter how hard I tried to dismiss it, Beth's words always seemed to slip back in.

It couldn't be true. I tried to convince myself. We were best friends. Ally wouldn't jeopardize our friendship like that, right? The tingling sensation still hasn't left my body, and didn't show signs of disappearing anytime soon.

Why was I getting so flustered about this? Was I really taking a toddler's words? I glanced back at Beth, who was smiling at me sweetly, her small legs swinging back and forward, hitting against the bottom of her car seat.

She gave me a small nod, as if she knew what I was thinking.

Maybe that was the problem. Beth wasn't just any five year old.

_Ally likes you. _I couldn't bring myself to look at the brunette, my eyes stubbornly glued to the oh-so-interesting window. Only until we pulled to a complete stop did they finally shift towards the driver's seat.

"We're here," Ally said with a bright grin, unbuckling her seatbelt, getting out of the car to help Beth out. I stopped her, gently placing my hand on her arm. I found myself almost annoyed as the small gesture caused my stomach to twist.

Ignoring it, I forced a smile. "Don't worry," I assured her. "I got it."

Ally didn't protest. "Thanks," she smiled, getting out of the car. She gently closed the door behind her. Only when she disappeared out of sight did Beth speak up. "I told you she likes you," she giggled.

I caught my breath, turning in my seat to face her. "Beth," I sighed, almost in exasperation. I opened my mouth to protest once again that we were just _friends_, but no words seemed to make its way out.

Beth went into another round of giggles, squirming in her car seat. I felt my face start to heat up. Swallowing every emotion down my throat, I unbuckled myself. "Okay," I said, but it turned out in more of a squeak. My throat felt dry as I swallowed hard. "Let's go inside."

* * *

"I can't believe you're spoiling her like that."

I looked at Ally in mock hurt. "How can you say that, Alls?" I asked, cracking a smile. "Look at how happy she is." Both of our heads turned to Beth, who grinned in reply, her face covered with the cold substance.

Ally tried to keep a straight face, but I could tell that she was hiding a smile. "Fine," she said at last. "But don't blame me if she goes on a sugar hive."

"It's ice cream," I scoffed, leaning back in my seat. "How bad can it be?"

My best friend just shook her head in reply, going back to texting on her phone. Her fingers flew against the small keys. I smirked. For the past five years, I've been trying to convince her to exchange her old flip phone for some upgrade. Because anything could have been better than the device that she had now.

But for some reason, Ally was _really _attached to it.

With one swift motion of my hand, I slipped the flip phone right from under her nose. Ally's hands dropped to her side, her head snapping towards me. "Austin," her voice was dangerous, her eyes glaring.

I smiled innocently at her. "Ally," I said in the same tone, trying hard not to laugh as she crossed her arms. "This is for your own good, trust me."

Ally disregarded my comment as she attempted to reach for her phone. I stood up, holding the device above my head. Ally huffed as she got up from her seat. "Give me the phone," she said, jumping for it.

"No way, Alls. You have to get a new one. This is like ancient."

Ally scoffed. "For your information," she glared. "My flip phone and I are very happy together." I laughed, which only seemed to make her angrier.

I looked at the phone, which was no bigger than my hand. It was as if looking at a foreign object. "Do they even make these anymore?" I asked, making a face.

"Yes!" Ally insisted, making another attempt to jump for it.

"Yeah," Beth chirped up, looking up from her ice cream.

Ally glared at me pointedly. "See," she said, half-joking. "A five year old knows more than you do. Now give me my phone! I have to answer Trish before she thinks I died or something." My smirk grew bigger.

Because if I knew anything about girls, it was that they shared all their 'secrets' through text message. Ally must have read my mind because her eyes widened. "Hm…" I said, biting my lip to keep myself from laughing. "I wonder what girl gossip you and Trish had talked about in here." I gave the phone a small toss.

Ally gawked at me. "Austin, I swear. If you-"

I took off, turning sharply out of the kitchen. I heard Ally yell something at Beth as I skittered down the hallway. "Austin, you better come back here!" Ally's voice appeared behind me after a few moments of silence.

Curiosity grew in my stomach. I flipped open Ally's phone, trying hard not to crash into anything as I routed towards the dining room. Opening up her text message, I saw it in black and white: _Trish. _Before I could read anything else, I felt a force crash into me, causing me to stumble slightly.

Ally's voice was ragged as she tried to catch her breath, her cheeks flushed. "Give…me…the…phone," she said through her breaths.

"Nu-uh Alls."

"Please?"

* * *

_"Okay, okay," Officer Berkley interrupted me. "I think we get it."_

_ I shrugged. "Hey, you're the one who wanted to hear this whole thing."_

_ Officer Berkley stretched in his seat. "Yeah," he agreed as he shifted. "But we don't have all day. This flight is only three hours, and we spent at least an hour so far. So do you think if you could maybe speed it up…?"_

_ "Fine!" I raised my hands in surrender, feeling slightly annoyed. "Sparing you the details of the chase, it all ended when Ally's dad came home."_

* * *

I almost crashed into Mr. Dawson as he entered the front door. I skittered to a stop, stumbling as I almost dropped Ally's phone onto the marble flooring. "Daddy!" I heard Beth cheer, running out of the kitchen.

"Dad!" another voice came down the hallway. "Stop him!"

I laughed, coming to a complete stop. "Hi Mr. Dawson," I greeted. Ally's dad looked shocked, almost startled at the scene before him. Before another word could be said, I felt the phone slip from my grasp.

Ally clutched the device to her chest protectively, snatching it from my hands. She visibly relaxed. Mr. Dawson stared at us as if we both grew second heads. "Did I miss something here?" he asked.

Both Ally and I shook our heads simultaneously. My best friend smiled at me smugly as she slipped her phone into her pocket. I glared at her. _Next time, _I mouthed. Ally just smiled, biting her lip as if to hide a laugh.

Small footsteps echoed down the house as Beth ran up to her dad. "Daddy!" she squealed, jumping into his arms. She waved the birthday invitation in his face, almost whacking him, poking him in the eye.

"I got an in-vi-taition." She sounded out the word carefully, looking at me for conformation. I gave a small nod. Beth grinned in triumph as she began to jump on the heels of her feet. "Can I go? Can I go? Can I go?"

I laughed. Ally smiled down at her sister as she yanked my sleeve, gesturing for me to follow her. We went up the stairs, straight towards her bedroom. Closing the door behind us, I could still hear Beth's excited voice.

"So what do you want to do?" Ally asked, collapsing on her bed. She looked as if she was still trying to catch her bed from the twenty-minute chase that she just participated in. I grinned, jumping on an empty space in the bed.

Ally yelped as the sudden weight caused her to fall off the mattress, hitting the ground hard. "Austin," she whined. I laughed as she pouted. I offered a hand towards her, which she accepted, boosting herself upwards.

"Sorry," I said, ducking my head, mostly so she wouldn't see my smile.

Ally sat down next to me. The corner of her phone was peeking out of her jean pockets, and for a moment, I was tempted to steal it from her again. Her reaction to this whole phone-snatching surprised me. Like it was worth more than gold.

This only made me more curious to what Ally was texting about in there.

"You know," I mused casually. "Why did you care so much about your phone?"

Ally visibly tensed beside me. "What do you mean?" she asked slowly, as if she was choosing her words carefully. Just from her body movements, I could tell that she was going into red-alert mode.

I raised a brow at her questioningly. "You act like it's you book."

"I just love my phone that much," Ally squeaked out. It wasn't a hidden fact that she wasn't the best liar in the world. Anyone can tell that she was trying to clearly avoid the subject. I opened my mouth to protest when she slipped the phone out of her pocket, flipping it open.

Her eyes scanned the screen. She gave a slight laugh. Nudging me, Ally showed me the continuous flow of texts that Trish was sending her by the second.

_Ally? Where are you? Did you die?_

_Hello? Anyone there?_

_Seriously, answer me!_

_Ally Dawson, pick up your d*** phone and answer!_

_Chica, mejor respuesta o voy a martarte. _

I didn't know Spanish, but I was pretty sure the last one wasn't good. "Wow," I said at last. Ally nodded at me knowingly. "What were you guys talking about?"

Ally smiled. "Trish wants to have a girl's night," she explained. I didn't question it. Ever since Ally met the Latina, she would go on and on about their 'girl nights'. What was so great about it? I had no idea.

She went on, "And this time, she wants to invite Kira, Laura, and…Cassidy."

I almost didn't hear her, having her voice drop an octave lower. But I did. And I felt my heart do a double take. Ally looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to say something. She knew about my crush on Cassidy. She knew I knew.

Her doe eyes were unreadable as she watched me carefully.

"About Cassidy…" I began, before realizing that I had no idea what to say.

Guilt hit me in the chest. I blinked hard. What was there to feel guilty about? It wasn't like… _Ally likes you_. Beth's voice popped back into my head. _No she doesn't, _I told myself, almost angrily.

My mouth turned dry as I shoved the thought from my head. _Cassidy, _I reminded myself. I had to stop thinking about Ally. We were best friends. Nothing more, nothing less. And I was happy with it that way.

**It sounds like you're trying to convince yourself that.**

_No I'm not! I'm being serious. _

**Right… Denial is not just a river in Egypt.**

_Really! And I'm going to prove it. _

**Good luck with that.**

Ally was still waiting for me to say something, anything by the way she was looking at me. "I was wondering…" I trailed off. _Cassidy, _my head chanted. Ally leaned forward with interest. A plan was slowly forming in my head.

_Focus on Cassidy. Win HER heart. _

Taking a deep breath, I blurted out, "Can you be my wingman?"

Ally looked shocked as she gawked at me. "W-What?" she stammered, her eyes growing wide. There was something in her expression that prevented me from going on. I felt my voice get wiped away as I looked down at the ground.

"I mean," I fumbled. I felt Ally's gaze on me. "I really, really, really like Cassidy." The words sounded almost foreign on my tongue. As if I was finally confirming it.

There was a silence. I glanced at Ally, who still looked stunned. "That's great," she said at last, swallowing hard. I looked at her questioningly, but she just shook her head and smiled. She nudged me. "I'm happy that you finally found your girl."

A strange feeling of relief swept over me. _See? _I told myself silently. _There's nothing more than a friendship going on here. _"Yeah…" I said at last. Ally waited for me to go on. "Here's the problem…I need your help."

If anything, that made Ally more confused. "What do you mean?"

"You said yourself that Cassidy was going to be at your, what you call it, 'girl's night'. Do you think you can…maybe…?" I waited for her catch on, not trusting my voice to work anymore. This wasn't coming out how I wanted it to.

Ally wouldn't meet my eyes. She swallowed hard, looking at the ground, the ceiling, the bookshelf, anywhere but at me. Finally, she gave a small nod. "Sure," she said, her voice sounding confident. She offered a smile.

I crushed her with a hug, wrapping my arms around her petite figure. I felt Ally tense under me before gradually relaxing, burying her head into my shirt. It was as if an elephant decided to land on my chest, because suddenly I couldn't breathe. Warmth spread throughout my body. I felt myself weaken.

And right there, every thought of Cassidy disappeared.

And suddenly, asking Ally to be my wingman seemed like a horrible mistake.

* * *

**Yay! Chapter 5 is done :D How was it? Don't forget to R&R :D**

**One quick announcement. I started a new story :D It's called 'How to Get the Girl'. It is slightly different from what I usually write, but please check it out :D **

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**AWESOME: **Thank you so much! I'm so happy you're enjoying it :)

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** : **Thank you so much! And thanks for catching that mistake I made (I blame typos ;) Yeah, I try and base Beth off of the actions of my sister, although in real life, my sister is a little bit more annoying ;)

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	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! OMG! We made it past 200 reviews! Thank you all so much! This is so amazing, especially when we're only on the 6th chapter :D You guys rock! Keep it up ;) I hope you enjoy the next chapter of 'Wingman: Austin's POV' :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

_Ingredients:_

_¾ cup of milk_

_1 cup of flour_

_2 tablespoons of white sugar_

_1 teaspoon of baking powder_

_½ teaspoon of baking soda_

_2 tablespoons of butter, melted_

_½ teaspoon of salt_

_1 cup of blueberries_

_1 egg_

"So this is the key to your world famous blueberry pancakes?" I asked, reading over the recipe card as Ally gathered the ingredients together. She nodded, snatching the piece of paper from my hands as she passed by.

"Yep," she said, popping the 'p' as she got a large bowl from the overhead cabinet. "Can you get the eggs from the refrigerator?" I opened my mouth to protest when she cut me off. "Do you want these pancakes or not?"

Beth giggled from her spot at the kitchen table. Mr. Dawson looked up from his taxes, staring at his daughter disapprovingly. "Ally," he scolded. "Be nice to Austin. He's like family." I stiffed a laugh as Ally pouted.

"Yeah Alls," I smirked. "Be nice to me. I'm a weak individual."

Ally rolled her eyes, hiding a smile as she opened the refrigerator to get the eggs herself. I boosted myself up on the kitchen counter as she set everything down next to me.

Grabbing the large bowl, she swiftly added the ingredients. It all blended together. I'll admit it. It was interesting to watch Ally cook. All the components of the recipe joining together, resulting in something amazing.

Sort of like our music.

"Can you pass me the spoon?" Ally's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I nodded, handing her the wooden spoon that was placed on the side of the counter. She smiled her thanks, taking the utensil in her hands, slowly mixing the batter together. "I can't believe I'm making pancakes for dinner," she muttered under her breath, sending me a pointed look.

"Pancakes are amazing," I insisted.

Ally made a face. "Yeah, for breakfast," she said, laughing slightly.

I gave her a sideways glance. "You are a very strange woman, Ally Dawson," I said after a slight pause. Ally looked at me, as if seeing if I was joking or not. But I was serious. It was true. I've never met someone quite like Ally Dawson.

But that's what I liked about her.

Ally's eyes observed me for a moment, as if deciding whether or not it was a compliment. Finally, she broke through the silence. "Since you're so eager to eat it," she said, turning back to stirring, "you might as well help out. You can oil the pan. The vegetable oil should be somewhere in the top cabinet."

Before I could respond, Mr. Dawson got up from his seat, the chair squeaking against the kitchen floor. "I left some papers back at the store," he told his daughter, touching her shoulder gently, as if to grab her attention. "Can you guys watch Beth for a few minutes while I get it real quick?"

Ally didn't look like she was going to respond anytime soon so I jumped in. "No problem, Mr. Dawson," I grinned, resisting the urge to salute.

To my surprise, Mr. Dawson shook his head. "Again, call me Lester," he told me. "Austin, we've known you technically since you were born. You're like family." I cracked a smile. For as long as I could remember, Mr. Dawson had always insisted on calling him by his first name.

But the name never really stuck.

"Lester," I corrected myself. It was as if using a foreign language.

Mr. Dawson looked pleased, though as he slipped on his coat. He gave a short nod at me before heading out the front door. I heard it close down the hallway. "Lester," I tried the name out, hoping that it would sound more comfortable on my tongue. Still, it felt wrong. "Lester."

Ally turned to me, her eyes questioningly. "Lester," I repeated. "Yeah, I'm never going to get used to it." She laughed, getting what I was hinting.

"I'm sure you will," she assured me. "It just takes time."

"Lester?" I questioned. "That's like calling me Monica." As much as I hated my middle name, it must have proved my point because Ally bit her lip in laughter.

She gestured back towards the abandoned kitchen counter. "Okay," she said, still smiling ear-to-ear as she gripped the spoon. "Back to cooking."

Beth squealed from the kitchen table, setting down her doll gently. She slowly climbed down from her seat, inching by until her feet hit the ground gently. "Can I help?" she asked enthusiastically, running over towards her sister.

Ally smiled, bending down to boost Beth up on the counter. She grabbed the spoon from her sister with both hands, stirring it carefully around the batter.

I remembered what Ally had told me before. _Vegetable oil_. I opened up the kitchen cabinet. It was the first bottle on the shelf. Grabbing it, I turned back towards Ally, who was heating up a pan on the kitchen stove.

She nodded at me. I uncapped the oil, setting it down on the counter. With one swift motion, I poured the contents into the pan. I thought that I didn't do too bad of a job, but apparently Ally thought differently.

"Austin!" she giggled. I turned to her in confusion. There was no way I could have done _that _wrong. I knew I wasn't the best cook in the world, but I think even Beth could have done it correctly.

She shook her head at me as she took the pan from the stove, looking as if she was trying hard not to laugh. "When I say oil, I don't mean pour the whole thing in it." Ally tilted the pan over the sink, allowing the excess oil to drain out.

_What?_ I looked at her, confused. "What do you mean then?"

Ally shook her head again, looking at me in what only could be amusement. She playfully shoved me out the door of the kitchen. "Let the professional do her work," she teased. Or _"We don't want you to burn down the house."_

"You'll regret this later," I joked, mocking hurt as I made my way towards the living room. Ally let out a laugh, "I'll take my chances."

I gave a small laugh as I collapsed on the couch, grabbing the remote control. I turned the TV on. _"But Squidward," _a familiar voice came out as the image loaded. I smirked. Ally was _not _going to be happy about this.

"Ooo," I rubbed my hands together. "SpongeBob."

I heard a squeal and a bang. Five seconds later, Beth launched through the living room, landing on my lap. "SpongeBob," she cheered. I laughed, wrapping my arms around her small body. She made herself comfortable.

* * *

_"SpongeBob?" Officer Berkley smirked. _

_I looked at him, offended. "It's a good show," I insisted. _

_ Office Berkley stifled a laugh. "Whatever you say," he said, smirking. _

_ I rolled my eyes, but nothing could stop the pang that hit me in the chest. His reaction reminded me so much of Ally, it hurt. I swallowed the knot growing in my throat. Taking out my phone, I glanced at the time. _

_ We still had two hours. 'The sooner we land, the better,' I thought. Because I was starting to miss Ally. A lot. To the point where I couldn't take it. I let out a deep breath as I closed my eyes. Officer Berkley was watching me carefully. I shook my head, signaling that I was fine. _

_ "Um…" I cleared my throat. "Anyway…" _

* * *

"Can we watch something that's not, I don't know, for ages five and under?" I looked up from the TV to see Ally walking over to us. She plopped on the sofa next to me, bouncing slightly as she hit the cushions.

I smirked, hugging Beth tightly. "Says the person who watches National Geographic," I shot back, laughing slightly. Ally watched that channel constantly, addicted to it just like it was a jar of pickles.

"National Geographic is actually a really fun show," Ally insisted.

Beth squirmed in my lap, giggling. "It sounds boring," she noted. I smiled at Ally smugly. _Told you so, _I mouthed to her. She rolled her eyes at me, but the laughter she was hiding was undeniable.

As her sister turned back towards the TV, Beth leaned up and whispered in my ear, "What's National Geo-gra-phic?" I laughed, thinking back to the many times Ally had forced me to watch it with her.

"Nothing fun," I assured her.

"Oh yeah," Ally said, snapping us out of our conversation. She turned back from the TV, her voice completely monotone. Her expression read '_what the heck am I watching?' _"Give me the remote control."

She reached for it. I snatched it up, holding it up high. "But I want to watch it," I protested. Beth nodded eagerly in agreement, coping my actions.

"Studies show that watching SpongeBob can make you dumber," Ally insisted. "And I would rather not have my sister brain dead."

Before I could protest how ridiculous that sounded, Beth let out a yelp. "My brain's not dead!" she exclaimed, feeling around her hair, clawing her curls. She turned to me with wide eyes. "Is it?"

"It's not," I assured her. Beth let out a sigh of relief.

Ally jumped for the remote again. Out of instinct, I rolled off the sofa, hitting the ground. Five seconds later, I felt a force hit me. Ally let out a yelp as we collided. I laughed, pinning her to the ground.

Beth was watching us, grinning ear-to-ear. I tossed the remote to her. "Run! Run while you still can! For the sake of SpongeBob!" I said overdramatically, making her go into a round of giggles. I felt Ally roll her eyes underneath me.

Clutching the remote firmly in her hands, Beth ran out of the room.

Ally shook her head as she watched her sister leave. "Okay, you won," she grunted, struggling to get out of my grip. "Now let me go."

I smirked. If she thought she was going to get out of this that easily, then she was wrong. "I don't think so Miss Dawson," I felt a smile growing on my face. "No one insults SpongeBob Square Pants and gets away with it."

"You have to be kidding me!" Ally exclaimed as I picked her up bridal style.

She tensed in my arms. Ally Dawson's weaknesses: tickling…and spinning. Making sure I had a firm hold on her, I spun her around. Ally let out a small giggle, her arms instinctively wrapping around my neck to steady herself.

"Austin!" she whined. "Put me down!"

I almost didn't hear her as my mind turned into a pile of mush. Ally's touch sent tingles down my spine. My heart started to speed up.

_Snap out of it, _something kicked me back into reality. I compiled my thoughts together, blinking hard. I swallowed, finally managing to form complete sentences as I pushed every feeling towards the back of my mind. "Not until you admit that SpongeBob is the most amazing sponge ever," I insisted.

Ally glared at me stubbornly. "If you think-" she let out another yelp as I gave another spin. She raised her hands in surrender, almost whacking me in the face. "Okay, okay!" she cried. I brought myself to a halt.

I peered down at her, smirking. My best friend scowled. "SpongeBob is the most amazing sponge ever," she said grudgingly.

The yell of triumph that was ready in my throat got stuck as my stomach suddenly twisted into a million knots. My attempt to hide the sensation failed as I felt my face start to heat up. Ally must have realized how close we were at the same time because I felt her tense.

My breath turned ragged. Our faces were so close. Every part of my body screamed 'no'. I felt my ears start to pound. Ally was looking at me with wide eyes, her lips slightly parted as I felt her breath tickle my face.

We locked eyes. I swallowed hard. "Ally," I began softly.

I didn't know what I was going to say. I probably never would. Because Beth came running in before another word could be said. "Ally!" she exclaimed, her footsteps echoing through the room.

Panic filled me faster than a river. My arms contracted, dropping to my side as I felt my face flush. Ally hit the ground hard. And only when I heard the _thump _did I realize that I drop her. "Sorry!" I apologized, helping her up. "Sorry, sorry!"

Ally laughed nervously. "It's okay," she said, stumbling slightly as she got to her feet. She wouldn't meet my eyes. I let out a trembling breath.

_What was I thinking? _I thought, gritting my teeth in frustration. How could I even think about…. Kissing Ally Dawson? She was my best friend. Would I really jeopardize my friendship with her because of…mixed feelings?

I felt my heart twist. I still felt Ally's touch on my neck, where it almost burned, sending warmth continuously down my body. I rubbed my temples with the heels of my hands. Was I really considering the fact that I may actually have feels for my best friend?

**I know this isn't the best and I'm REALLY sorry for that :( But I promise that the next one will be better :D For the next few days, I will be a little busier, but I will try to update as frequently as possible :)**

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** : **:D Thank you so much! And I love your stories too! 13 Roses is amazing :D

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**Kayla: **Yep :D That's why I love writing this in Austin's POV. It's bringing back the whole "Wingman experience" XD

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**Thejhamham: **:D Yeah. I love writing the same story in the different POVs. And I'm so glad you like them both :D


	7. Chapter 7

**OMG! I'm soooo sorry for the late update! It's been a really busy week for me and it was really hard to find time to write. I really apologize. But I'm soooo thankful for your patience. You guys are the best :D I hope you enjoy the next chapter of Wingman: Austin's POV :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

"Rock 'n roll!"

Ally rolled her eyes at me, smiling. Snatching the drum sticks from my hands, she set them out of my reach. "Hey!" I protested, jumping from the drum set. Before I could grab them back, she shook her head.

"You're going to wake up Beth," the brunette told me.

"We're two flights away from her bedroom," I insisted. "I doubt she'll hear it." Ally raised her hands in surrender and I grinned in triumph.

We were in Ally's basement, which was honestly one of my favorite places…ever. As strange as it sounds, it's true. Ever since both Ally and I were younger, her dad had transformed the abandoned room.

For years, the basement had been full of pianos, drums, guitars, and other instruments that we still constantly used. And for just as long, we had been having 'jam sessions', singing and goofing around for what seemed like hours.

They were times that we both looked forward to every week.

Ally handed me the drum sticks back. "Here you go Austin," she said. "Now you can _rock 'n roll_!" Her voice got pitchy as she did a small air guitar gesture, adding in a hair flip. Steadying herself, she peered up at me, as if asking _how was that? _

I laughed. "Alls, leave it to the professionals," I said jokingly.

Ally let out a small giggle as she stood next to me by the drum set. "I think that I can be counted as a 'professional', Austin," she said, making air quotes. I looked at her pointedly and she pouted, giving in. "Just wait until I learn how to play the drums and we'll see," she told me seriously.

I stared at her, my eyes offering her a silent challenge. Ally smiled innocently, her arms crossed as she met my gaze. One gesture and I knew she accepted. Smirking, I grabbed my drum sticks from her hands. "C'mon then," I urged her.

"What?" Ally's eyes widened.

"I'm teaching you how to play drums," I told her, grinning ear-to-ear. This was going to be fun. "Then we can really judge who the pro is after that."

Ally stared at me as if I just suggested that we jumped off a cliff. She crossed her arms, looking at me, almost amused. "You really want that ego booster, don't you?" she said, trying hard not to laugh.

I shook my head, smiling. Grabbing her arm, I gently sat her down next to me. "Okay," I said, placing the drum sticks in both of her hands. Ally rolled her eyes but obediently griped them tightly.

Standing up from my seat, I positioned myself wrapping my arms around her from behind, grabbing her hands. "So," I prompted, gently moving her hand over the snare drum. "This is called the snare. Just lightly tap it-"

Moving her hands with mine, the drum made the appropriate sound as together, we struck it with the stick. Only then did I realize the position we were in. How close we were. I felt my mouth slowly go dry, feeling Ally's body press against mine. My hand on top of hers.

The breath got wiped out of my body. "Um…" I stammered.

Ally turned to me questioningly, her doe eyes observing me carefully. If anything, that made my condition worse. I felt my knees start to buckle. My stomach twisted into a million knots. My heart started to race.

What was wrong with me?

Forcing myself to focus, I returned back to the drum lesson. "This," I continued, feeling as if my voice just got choked, "is the crash cymbal." Reaching over, the drum stick hit the said part of the drum.

"And-" warmth started to spread throughout my body. Ally was _so _close. As hard as I tried, my focus snapped back towards my best friend. "And…" my ability to speak completely wiped from my mind. "And that's it for now."

Leaping away from a confused Ally, I launched myself across the room. I felt my heart pound through my ears. There was no way I could actually… "Are you okay Austin?" Ally asked, standing up from the drum set.

"Y-Yeah," the stupid stammer kicked in.

My best _friend _definitely wasn't buying it. "Are you sure?"

Swallowing hard, I forced a smile. "Definitely," I insisted, trying to shake the tingling sensation that was currently surging through my hand.

Even if I wanted to, I couldn't explain to her what was happening. Because I didn't know myself. I liked _Cassidy_. The more I tried to convince myself, the more it backfired on me. Because the blond beauty was no longer the center of my attention. No. That position was taken by a certain brunette.

Whether I liked it or not.

* * *

_"Boy, denial is not just a river in Egypt," Officer Berkley interrupted in exasperation, slapping me over the head. I yelped. "I mean, honestly. How hard is it to admit that this is not just 'mixed feelings'?"_

_ I scowled, rubbing my head. "If you would just listen, maybe you'll find out," I shot back. But thinking back on it, Officer Berkley was right. Retelling everything made me realize how stupid and oblivious I was being._

_ And that was something I didn't like to admit. _

_ Officer Berkley rolled his eyes. "Go on then," he said. _

* * *

Lesson #1: Never get in the way between Ally and her 'girl nights'.

As soon as her friends came over later that night, I was out. Ally had the right to spend time with other people. I couldn't have her for myself all the time. Cassidy was there. Seeing her, I forced myself to remember what I told Ally.

She was my wingman. And best friend. I wasn't going to mess that up because of girl confusion….right? My mind battled between the two: Cassidy, Ally, Cassidy, Ally, Cassidy, Ally. They got tossed back and forward like a tennis match.

Groaning, I crashed through the entrance to my house, taking off my coat.

"Austin?" my mom's voice came from the kitchen.

"Hey," I greeted as she appeared into view, wiping her hands on a dish cloth.

She smiled back. "How was your time at Ally's?" she asked. I felt myself blush despite my thoughts, remembering our drum lesson in the basement. _Get over it, _I told myself. Ally herself probably felt nothing.

"Good," I said. My mom smiled knowingly, which didn't help. At all.

Thankfully, she must have noticed my expression because she nodded. "I know you already ate, but I made some cookies for you," she told me, gesturing towards the kitchen. My stomach growled in agreement.

"Thanks Mom," I grinned. "You're the best."

Before I could take another step, she stopped me, having my body jerk back. "But," she said, cutting me off. "Before you stuff your face, there's someone upstairs that's been waiting for you to come home."

Confusion swept over me. I looked at her questioningly. My mom smiled. "In your bedroom," she explained, not exactly clearing it up. Seeing my look of doubt I sent her, she laughed and shoved me towards the stairs. "Go."

I raised my hands in surrender, feeling a smile start to form. "Fine," I groaned, trudging my way up towards my bedroom. It got the desired effect as I heard my mom's laugh even when I reached the second floor.

Pushing open my bedroom door, I didn't know what to expect. But I definitely didn't think that when I entered, I would be greeted with an empty room. Everything seemed in place: Dougie the dolphin, the photo of me and Ally when we were younger, the guitar propped against my bed.

But there was no sight of the 'visitor'. I was starting to think that my mom was playing a practical joke on me. Half-way out the door, a voice called out, "Well, don't just leave me here, Little Bro." I nearly jumped out of my skin.

I would have let out a scream if the voice didn't sound awfully familiar. Spinning around, my vision snapped to my desk, where my computer was open and running. I squinted at the image plastered onto the screen.

Taking a step forward, I almost didn't believe my eyes. "Ross!" I shouted, racing forward, almost dripping over my own feet. I skittered towards my desk. Sure enough, my older brother laughed, grinning ear-to-ear.

"I wondered how long it would take for you to notice," he said, smirking. His face was lit up by his computer screen as he leaned forward. "Wow Austin, how long has it been since I last saw you? A few months?"

Shock hit me. "What are you doing here?" I asked, still finding it hard to believe that my brother was actually there. It's been forever since I've actually seen him face-to-face, even if it was through a computer.

"It's called Skype," Ross said simply.

I felt a strange 'bro affection' stir in my stomach. I laughed, boosting myself up onto the desk, setting the computer on my lap. "It's nice to see you again."

Ross gave me a smile, but his shoulders slumped slightly. "Yep," he said, popping the 'p'. "All the studying must have finally paid off because I finally get a week off." My eyes lit up. A week off? Meaning….

"I'm coming back to Miami!" Ross confirmed my thoughts.

I threw my fist up into the air in silent victory. Ross and I had always been close. We were more best friends than we were brothers. So when he moved away to go to Yale, it was hard, especially with the distance.

"When are you coming?" I asked, finding it hard to sit still.

Ross shrugged, but he was grinning. "Just have to finish up some exams and I should be right there with you guys in a week or two," he told me.

I smiled. "Ally's going to be ecstatic," I noted.

"Yeah," Ross said softly. He was fond of Ally, more than he would ever like to admit it. He acted like the older brother she never had. And despite the one year age gap between them, I still couldn't help but feel…jealous at times.

Ross's voice snapped me back out of my thoughts. "Can you do me a favor though?" he asked. He didn't even wait for my response. "Don't tell Ally that I'm coming, 'kay? I want it to be a surprise."

I cracked a smile. "Ally hates surprises," I told him.

"Exactly," Ross smirked. "How is it with you two, anyway?"

Something about his tone made me blush. I ducked my head. "Nothing's changed," I murmured. Ross's smirk deepened at my reaction. I couldn't help but glare at him. "What?" I dared to ask.

My brother shook his head. "How long are you gonna deny it, Bro?"

"T-There's nothing to deny," I didn't even question what he was asking.

Ross laughed, almost amused. If anything, that just made me angrier. Was it really _that _impossible for a boy and girl just to stay _friends_? Apparently not, judging by the way he was looking at me.

"Whatever you say, Austin," he shrugged, dismissing the subject, much to my relief. But his eyes showed me that he wasn't done with me.

"Really," I insisted. But it sounded like I was trying to convince myself that.

**Again, I really hope you like it :D I feel so bad for giving you guys such a late update, it's almost killing me to say this: Tomorrow, I'm going on vacation for 10 days. I'm really sorry but I won't be able to update then because I won't have my computer present :( I really am sorry. But I PROMISE that when I get back, I'll write you guys the best chapter ever :D**

**Thank you all again for you patience with my busy schedule :D **

**Stephanie-chibi: **Thank you sooo much! I'm so glad that you like my fanfics. It really means a lot :D

**BeautifulMysteries13: **Aw...THANK YOU! You're review just made my entire week :D You are ah-mazing ;D

**Lolicookies: **Yay! I'm so glad you like it :D I'm actually really excited to write that part to :D My mind is already buzzing on how I'm going to play it out. Thank you so much for the support and I hope you enjoyed this chapter :D

**Ishy: **Aw...you're so sweet! Thank you! I'm sooo happy you read all of my fanfics. That's amazing :D

**Sparkle: **AHHHHH! OMG! THANK YOU! I can't even...OMG! Harry Potter is AMAZING and to say that you think that my writing is better...Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you! I can't even begin to say how happy that made me :D

**Cupcakegirl786: **Lol. I know right XD

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**1DR5: **Ahhh! Thank you! You're review literally made me smile so wide, I thought I was going to burst :D Thank you soooo much! Your support means so much to me :D And I love THG and Divergent too! They are AMAZING :D

**Allygurl101: **Aw thanks! I know right: what will we do without wifi? XD Thank you for the support and just...everything! It all just makes my day :D

**Ausllylover2345: **Haha XD Thank you so much :D Your review just gave me a massive energy boost :D You are so albino panda ;D Love ya!

**Geeksrchic: **That is actually a really clever idea :D I go back to Ally's POV too...and not just because I have to remember what happens next in order to write it in Austin's POV ;D

**WritermeAL: **Thank you! :D

**Thank you again for all your support and reviews :D They just remind me why I love writing so much :D Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you :D I love you all and I'll see you once I get back from vacation :D Don't forget to review! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! I'm baaaaaaaaack :D I'm home from vacation and ready to write away ;D I'm so sorry the previous chapter was a little short, so I tried to make this one slightly longer. Thank you all again for the support and reviews! Love you all and I really hope you enjoy the next chapter of Wingman: Austin's POV :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

I was almost surprised to see Ally walk shakily towards me on Monday morning. I looked up from adjusting my guitar strap. "You came," I noted. My best friend gave a small nod, looking almost deathly pale.

"Couldn't let you perform by yourself," she squeaked out.

From inside the band room, I could still hear Miss Hill introducing us. "And now for a very special treat…" Ally made a noise that sounded like a cat trying to swallow a hairball. I almost felt bad for making her perform. Almost.

"You ready for this?" I asked her, knowing the answer before it came.

"N-No," Ally stammered out. Her face turned into another shade of white and suddenly, I was afraid that she was going to puke. Her hands flew towards her forehead, her thumb rubbing her temples as she took a shaky breath.

Guilt hit me in the chest, almost hating myself for putting Ally through this. It was too late to back out now. But the brunette looked so helpless, I felt like I was almost dying inside. I hesitated for a moment.

Every part of my body wanted to do something. Comfort her. After pausing for a second, I took her hand in mine, ignoring the fact that they seemed to fit almost perfectly together. Or the fact that our contact made me feel lightheaded.

_Focus, _I told myself. Giving her hand what was hopefully an encouraging squeeze, I felt Ally tense. "Hey," I prompted her softly, giving her a friendly nudge. "I'm going to be right there with you."

I didn't know if that would serve as a form of encouragement, but the way Ally was looking at me, it looked like it worked. She let out a small nod, looking up at me in a way that almost made me lose my voice. "Okay," she said.

"And now!" Miss Hill's voice got louder, giving us our signal before I could even react. "Let's all welcome, Austin Moon and Ally Dawson!"

I looked down at Ally, my eyes looking at her questioningly. She bit her lip, meeting my eyes as she gave me a small nod. "I'm ready," she said.

And this time, it really looked like she was.

* * *

_(_**Austin: bolded **_Ally: italicized _Both: underlined_) _

Ally gave me a small nod, signaling for me to go. Her lips were tightly knit together. So hard that I was afraid that when it was her turn to sing, they wouldn't part. But I gave her an encouraging nudge before obediently starting to play the beginning chords. Music slowly filled the quiet room.

Right on cue, Ally sang. Her voice filled my ears. I smiled.

_"When you're all alone,_

_Drowning alone,_

_And you need a rope_

_That can pull you in_

_Someone will throw it_

All eyes were focused on the brunette. And from where I was standing, I could see that it was starting to affect her negatively. Ally instinctively tensed, glancing at me nervously. I gave her a small nod. _They love you, _I told her silently.

**And when you're afraid**

**That you're gonna break**

**And you need a way to feel **

**Strong again**

**Someone will throw it**

Our voices blended together perfectly. _As if they were made for each other, _an annoying voice popped into my head. I gritted my teeth. _Shut up! _

And even when it hurts the most

Try to have a little hope

'Cause someone's gonna be there when you don't

When you don't…

If you want to cry, I'll be your shoulder

If you want to laugh, I'll be your smile

If you want to fly, I will be your sky

Anything you need,

That's what I'll be

If you want to climb, I'll be your ladder

If you want to run, I'll be your road

If you want a friend,

Doesn't matter when

Anything you need,

That's what I'll be

You can come to me

Ally looked almost breathless as she stared at me. My hands moved effortlessly across the neck of the guitar, the final chords being played. I grinned at her, and after a moment of daze, she returned the gesture.

Clapping was what made me realize where I was. Both Ally and I turned around to see everyone, up on their feet. Ally looked almost shocked as she watched in amazement. I gave a small laugh.

"They love you," I whispered in her ear.

Ally turned to me, her expression almost unreadable. The thought must have just sunk into her brain: she defeated her stage fright. But there was more. I could see it in her eyes. The way she was looking at me…

In the same state of shock, she threw her arms around my neck, completely throwing me off. I almost dropped my guitar in surprise. "Thank you," she murmured before I could recover. "I couldn't have done it without you."

My mouth formed words that never escaped my mouth. I stood there, frozen like a statue. _Move you idiot, _I ordered myself. What was wrong with me? Ally and I had hugged thousands of times before.

Then why did this one feel so much different?

* * *

It was a known fact that Ally _loved _school. If it was a human being, she would have married it. Seriously, ever since Kindergarten, I've never seen Ally skip a day of school. "Learning is important," she would insist.

But gym was a different story. It was my favorite part of the day. Ally, on the other hand, despised it. Running laps until you drop definitely didn't appeal to her. The only reason she didn't ditch each class was for her attendance record.

Even then, it was a nightmare even getting her into the gym.

"Why?" Ally moaned for the millionth time as I half-lead half-dragged her through the hallways. She slowly inched across the floor. It doesn't take a detective to see that she wasn't the most athletic person in the world.

"C'mon Alls," I urged. "We're gonna be late."

The brunette huffed. "What's the point of running laps anyway?" she questioned again. "How will that ever help you raise your IQ points?"

I shook my head at her. "You are very interesting, Dawson."

Ally rolled her eyes, tilting her head at me as if to see if I was being serious or not. I took that chance to move her a few more inches. I was seconds away from tossing her over my shoulder and running her the rest of the way.

Finally, we got to the gym. I let out a breath as I felt the cool air condition hit me in the face. "Jeez Alls," I said breathlessly, looking at my best friend in exasperation. "Getting you to the gym is a workout in itself."

Ally gave me an innocent smile. "I try," she joked.

Coach Quinn approached us with his familiar clipboard. "Moon, Dawson, you're late," he said gruffly. Before any of us could throw in an excuse, he continued, "Hurry up and get dressed. We're playing dodge ball."

I wish I could have known that earlier. Ally let out a squeal, already half-way towards the girl's locker room. "I'll see you on the playfield," she called out. I smirked in response. Dodge ball was one (and probably the only) game that Ally actually enjoyed during physical education.

Five minutes later, everyone was gathered together, divided up into two separate teams. I searched around for the familiar brunette only to see her on the other side of the gym. I grinned. This was going to be fun.

Ever since I've known her, Ally and I both have been super competitive when it comes to games, especially dodge ball. So when we were both on the same team, we pretty much dominated it. On opposing sides?

The gym was going to end up in complete chaos.

Ally met my eyes, her face lighting up. A small smirk played on her lips. "Going down Dawson!" I called over towards her side, over the continuous chatter.

"You're going to eat those words, Moon," Ally laughed with a slight shake of her head. A challenge was clearly in her eyes as she cracked her knuckles playfully. I couldn't help but feel a round of affection towards my best friend.

"Okay!" Coach Quinn yelled before I could make a counterattack. "If you get out, you stay out! We're playing until the last one's standing. Got it?"

The coach didn't even wait for everyone's consent. He blew the whistle, making an ear-piercing sound echo through the gym. I sprinted for the first ball in sight. Before I could throw it, I heard a whizzing sound flash by my ear.

A red dodge ball flew right past me, hitting Elliot straight in the stomach. The quarterback groaned as he stumbled back. "Sorry!" an apology came from the other side. I looked to see Ally biting her lip in guilt.

I clicked my tongue, trying hard not to laugh. She might be small, but Ally has a wickedly good throw. "You're being a bad girl Alls," I told her teasingly.

As if on cue, Elliot ran past me, no doubt towards the nurse's office. My words got the desired effect as Ally huffed in annoyance, obviously unhappy that I just confirmed her guilt. She threw a ball at me. I ducked as it just barely missed me.

The game went on. And I tried every method known possible to get Ally out. But it was hard when her eyes were on me the entire time. The pool of players was slowly decreasing, but the brunette wasn't one of them.

"Nice throw," someone said behind me as I launched one at Trish.

I turned around to see Cassidy beaming. I grinned. "Hey," I said, giving a small wave as I dodged another ball. The blond gave me a thumbs up. I waited for that feeling to come back. For my heart to start beating a mile a minute.

For the feeling that I usually got with Cassidy to start.

But it never came.

Instead, I felt like I was with any regular person.

A ball flew past us. Cassidy caught it mid-air, tossing it towards me. I looked at her questioningly and she shrugged. "I don't really have a good arm," she admitted. I laughed and played with the dodge ball, tossing it between my hands.

Before another word could be said, something flashed past my face. And hit Cassidy square in the face. She landed with a squeak, toppling to the ground. I felt a round of panic go through my body, suddenly glad that they were dodge balls.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, offering my hand towards her.

Cassidy looked dazed for a moment before nodding. "Yeah," she said, wincing. Pain clouded her face. "My head just needs a moment to rest…" She sucked in her breath. Seeing my expression, she forced a laugh. "Don't worry Austin."

Anger surged through my body to whoever did this. Hits in the head weren't allowed in dodge ball. And only one person I know was able to hit that accurately. My thoughts were confirmed as I heard a voice behind us.

"Cassidy!" a familiar voice called out. "I am so sorry!"

My anger was directed towards none other than Ally Dawson.

* * *

_I cut myself off. _

_ Officer Berkley looked at me questioningly. "What's wrong?" he asked. _

_ My mind traveled back to what happened. And it definitely wasn't something I was proud of. And there was no way I was telling Officer Berkley how I raged out at Ally like that. "Nothing," I said hesitantly. "But can we...skip this part?"_

_ "Skip?" Officer Berkley was looking at me as if I just grew another head. _

_ I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. "Yeah," I stammered out. "Like…what happens next isn't really important. Can we just skip that part?"_

_ Officer Berkley was quiet for a moment. At first I thought that he was going to agree when he gave a maniac laugh, throwing me off for a second. "Are you kidding?" he blurted out. "This has to be good if you want to skip it."_

_ 'I think I'll actually be better off without you.' My own voice echoed through my head. What I said to Ally. I winced. "Trust me," I muttered. "It's not pretty."_

_ "Which makes it even better," Officer Berkley laughed. _

_ Every positive emotion I was starting to feel towards this guy went straight down the drain. I scowled at him, my mind thinking of all the possible ways that I could get him off this plane. _

_ I hated how Officer Berkley was acting as if my life was some movie. Some form of entertainment source. I knew he was just trying to help me. But at the moment, I was feeling worse than I felt when we first started this thing. _

_ "Remember our agreement," the cop reminded me. _

_ Glaring at him, I almost hated him even more for getting me into this. For making me talk when what I really wanted to do was just regain my relationship with Ally. "Fine," I snapped. "If you really want to know what happened, then here it is. Ally tried talking to me after school…"_

* * *

Thinking back on it, I probably got a lot angrier at Ally than I needed to be. But it wasn't directed towards the dodge ball incident. No. I realized that as I was walking home after school.

"Austin! Can you just listen to me?" Ally struggled to catch up as I stormed past her. _Ignore her, _I ordered myself. "How many times do I have to apologize? It was an accident! Even Cassidy forgave me, and she's the one who got hurt!"

I felt a small hand grab my arm. I shoved past her, almost whacking her with my backpack. Ally huffed as she followed me. "I don't see why you're so angry!"

_Why am I so angry?_ "Why did you have to hit her in the face?" I asked her, not meeting her eyes. I looked at the trees, the sky, the sidewalk. Anywhere but at Ally herself. I crossed the street and no surprise, she continued to purse me.

I should have let her talk but words filled my mouth faster than a river, and spitting them out even quicker. "All she did was talk to me! Is that a crime? Why does it seem like whenever I even talk to her, you always seem to interrupt?"

They just kept on coming from my mouth before I could even stop them. I spun around to see myself face-to-face with Ally. She stumbled slightly as she halted. And right there, I knew I wasn't angry about the dodge ball.

No. I was angry at myself. At Ally. For completely mixing up my feelings, turning them into a confusing knot. I would have been fine liking Cassidy. I would have been fine living the life I was living.

But Ally just had to come in and twist it around.

And suddenly, my feelings were like some dramatic soap opera.

And now, it was like forcing myself to say that I had a crush on Cassidy Peeples.

I should have left it at that. But I didn't. "I thought you were supposed to be my wingman in this!" _Stop, _every part of my body screamed. "You're supposed to help me, not ruin my chance with her!" I hardly recognized my own voice. "I think that I'll actually be better off without you!"

As soon as those words escaped from my mouth, I regretted it. Ally looked at me as if she just got slapped in the face. Hurt filled her eyes. Tears. "Well I'm sorry if I'm being such a bad friend," she snapped, her voice trembling. "If you really want someone to help you, why don't you try finding yourself a new wingman because obviously you don't want me around?"

It took a second for her words to process through my head. It was as if hitting me with a cold rod. What did I just say to her? My anger drained out of my body as I finally snapped back into reality. "No, Ally, I didn't mean it like that-"

Sniffing, she shoved past me, her head casted downward as she ran back the way she came. Even from where I was standing, I could see her body trembling. My throat screamed to do something. To call after her.

But I didn't do anything.

I remembered once that I promised never in my life would I make Ally Dawson cry. That the only thing I would do was going to be putting a smile on her face. Because there was nothing worse than seeing my best friend cry from my doing.

And now that it finally happened, I realized how true it was.

**I just realized that I'm not looking forward to writing the next chapter. Because we all know what happens then :( I wrote it once in Ally's POV and I was in a sobbing mess. So I'm expecting the same thing in Austin's POV...oh boy. Brace yourselves. **

**On a happier note, you're reviews were just AMAZING! They just put a major smile on my face :D I'm have to leave now but I'm going to try and respond to as many as I could before I go. **

**Guest: **OMG! Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like the Wingman trilogy :D

**Guest88: **Sometimes I think that too. I actually know a few people who watch A&A just for Auslly moments.

**AusllyFan: **AWWWW Thank you so much! You're review just inspired me sooo much :D No words can describe how happy you just made me feel. Thank you! It really means a lot and I'm still smiling even while I'm writing this :D I've been wanting to be a writer ever since I was six so hearing you say that _really _helped me. Thank you! You are an amazing writer yourself. And I know because I actually LOVE your fanfic 'Why Am I Even Trying'. It's AMAZING! :D I'm not even kidding. I LOVE your story! :D

**WritermeAL: **The drum scene wasn't in Ally's POV, but it was during their 'jam session' after they put Beth to bed. Sorry if it got a little confusing :) Thank you so much for your review! I'm so glad you liked it :D

**Ishy: **Awww thank you so much! I really appreciate your patience with my crazy updating schedule :D Thank you!

**Raindrops on my guitar: **Thank you!

**Guest: **Ikr! Auslly is the cutest ship EVER :D

**Lizju999: **Me too! I'm actually really looking forward to writing that part :D

**Rauraauslly: **Thank you so much! You are soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo PANDA D

**Ausllylover2345: **Yay! I'm so glad you liked the albino panda wearing a turtle neck chapter! :D Love ya too!

**Geeksrchic: **THANK YOU! I'm soooo glad you liked the drum moment! And I love Ross and Austin's brotherly relationship too :D Nothings better than two close siblings (at least that's what my mom says when she wants me and my sisters to get along) ;D

**BeautifulMysteries13: **Lol ;D You're review just made me laugh so hard :D I wonder if you are still waiting... ;D

**Randi1403: **I love writing those parts too :D I love Officer Berkley and Austin's love/hate relationship ;D

**Kittykat2506: **Ikr. Austin's so oblivious ;D

**Lolicookies: **Thank you so much! I love that word: Galafrax :D

**Allygurl101: **Thank you! I'm sooo happy to have supporters like you that just make my day :D

**Minionlover8: **Yep. It's the same night. I just didn't show it in Ally's POV :)

**Kayla: **Thank you! And yep :D Get ready for some serious jealous Austin ;D

**Jalki: **OMG! Thank you sooo much! It means a lot to hear you say that :D I'm so glad that you like it! And me too; I'm really excited to see where the Wingman trilogy can take us :D

**1DR5: **Lol ;D Thank you again!

**Call Moi Crazy/ ComeOnGetLOUD123ReadySetRock: **Me too! I honestly almost completely forgot about Ross until one day I was reading over Ally's POV. It's great to know how well I know my story, right XD

** : **Awwww thank you sooooooooooooo much! I had a great time at vacation and definitely got a lot of inspiration for my other stories there :D But I really missed FanFiction and I'm really glad to be back :D Thank you again for the support! It is the reason that I can keep on writing new chapters for you all :D

**Thank you all again! I love you all and see you next time in the next update! **


	9. Chapter 9

"Ally! Please talk to me!"

My best friend let out a small huff of air, obviously annoyed. I wanted to yell in frustration as Ally continued to give me the silent treatment, which is what she's been doing for the past 19 hours, 15 minutes, and 30 seconds.

Ally pushed passed me, her books hugged to her chest as she made her way to her next class. I struggled to keep up with her, gently shoving through the other students that were crowding throughout the hallway.

"I'm sorry," I apologized for the hundredth time that day.

Of course, my lame apology didn't change anything as Ally acted as though I was an annoying fly that wouldn't stop pestering her. She turned a corner as she made her way to her next period: Ancient History.

I was going to be late for class, no doubt about it. I hesitated before following her. Ally was more important than any of that. "Shouldn't you be going to class now?" her voice voiced my thoughts. It was angry and hurt.

But at least she was talking to me.

"Not until you give me a chance," I persisted, reaching out to grab her arm only to have her snap it away. I tried again. "Look, I understand if you're angry-"

"I'm not angry," Ally snapped out, suddenly spinning to face me. Instinctively, I took a step back. My mouth opened to protest when something in her eyes stopped me. Hurt. It was worse than any anger that she could have had at me.

And suddenly, I wish that she would start yelling at me. Hitting. Punching. Because anything would have been better than how she was looking at me.

"I'm not angry," Ally repeated again, her voice growing softer.

Before another word could be said, she spun around on her heel and quickly walked down the rest of the hallway. Walked. She didn't run. _There's no running in the school, _I almost heard her voice lecture me. _It's against the rules. _

I used to remember how much Ally's goody-goody attitude used to bug me. But now, I would have done anything just to get her and her rules back. To just become Austin and Ally again.

* * *

Lunch wasn't much better. At all.

Ally still wasn't talking to me. I tried and catch her gaze, but it was as if it refused to cooperate. Her eyes were glued to a certain point in the ground, her Converse shoes suddenly looking very interesting.

In front of her, her lunch of fruit and PB&J sandwich remained untouched.

"Hey," I felt someone nudge me on my side. I turned to see Dez looking at me, concerned as he broke off from his conversation with Trish. "Is everything okay Austin?" he asked me, as if he could read my thoughts.

_No, _the word was right out of my tongue, ready to get launched out. But the way Dez was looking at me proved that my excuse wasn't going to work. "Ally and I got into a fight yesterday," I mumbled under my breath.

Glancing up at Ally, I looked to make sure she wasn't listening. It wasn't any surprise to see that she hasn't moved from the position she was in for the past ten minutes. Dez's voice brought me back towards him.

"Really?" he sounded surprised.

I let out a nod. "Yeah," I said. This wasn't exactly a conversation I would like to be having at the moment. But I went on, "I really messed up."

Dez was quiet for a second. At first, I thought that he was going to say something comforting or encouraging. Something to boost up my confidence level, which wasn't so high at the moment. Instead, he responded with a, "Oh."

I opened my mouth to reply when something cut me off. My gaze flicked upward to see Elliot approaching our table. I wasn't the only one who noticed the quarterback's presence. It was as if a pin dropped as it suddenly grew quiet.

To my shock, he went straight towards Ally. "Hey Ally," he said.

Ally spun around in her seat in surprise. Her expression was a pretty good mirror towards mine. Elliot. There were a few words that I could use to describe him, but I would probably be kicked out of the school for using it.

Look up 'player' or 'jerk' or 'idiot' in the dictionary, and I'm almost positive that there would be a picture of him right there, in the front and center. Apparently, I'm the only one who thought so.

Girls were crazy about him, falling instantly for his stupid smile, stupid popularity, and stupid personality. Ally was one of those people. In middle school, she had the hugest crush ever on this guy.

And all I remember was how much I wanted to punch Elliot in the face. Don't take it the wrong way. He was an idiotic player who seemed to have a new girl at his side 24/7. And there was no _way _Ally was going to be one of those girls.

"Hi," Ally said, her voice guarded.

"Hi," I couldn't help but echo. Elliot's presence was starting to make me squirm. Especially when he was here because of Ally. Something stirred under my stomach. And it was nothing good. I gave him a glare. "Buh-bye!"

Dez kicked me hard under the table. He wasn't the only one who looked fazed by my reaction. Ally spun towards me, her eyes glaring. "Don't be rude!" she told me. Before I even got a chance to say anything, she turned back to Elliot.

_That _didn't help the slow knot that was forming in my chest. I refused to identify what the cause of it was for. "What are you doing here?" Ally asked.

Elliot gave off one of those smiles that had the girls screaming. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Just wanted to say that you did great in dodge ball yesterday." _Oh you have to be kidding- _"And you have a really good arm."

If that was his idea of complimenting… I almost wanted to laugh in his face.

"Sorry about that," Ally said sheepishly.

A small blush appeared on her face. And for some reason, that ticked me off. A lot. "Yeah," I couldn't help but spit out. "She's really sorry. Hope your mom kissed it better! Nice talking to you! Bye now!"

Trish and Dez went into a round of giggles, which didn't seem to help Ally's annoyance that was directed straight towards me. "Subtle Austin," Dez told me under his breath, still snickering. "Very subtle." I ignored him.

"Austin!" Ally scowled at me.

Elliot went on as if I didn't even cease to exist. "Anyway," he went on, his eyes completely focused on Ally. "I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go on a date with me sometime? There's this new movie out-"

Underneath the table, my hands clenched so hard, I was sure they were turning white. My vision started to see red as I glared daggers into Elliot's head. How could he even _think _about asking my Ally out? **(1)**

There was no possible way that I was going to let that happen. Ally hasn't had much dating experience. She was delicate. In other words, if Elliot so as much as laid a hand on her, I was going to-

"Um," Ally stammered out, obviously thrown off.

"Sorry," I blurted out before I could stop myself. My mind raced for an excuse. There was no way I was going to let Ally go out with this jerk. She deserved _much _better than what was presented in front of her.

What came out of my mouth, however, was entirely different. "But Ally isn't interested in geeky, idiotic movies because if it's anything like you, it'll be bad."

A round of laughter erupted around the table. Ally? She didn't seem to be sharing the joy as her jaw dropped. "Can I speak to you Austin for a second?" she asked me, gritting her teeth in annoyance.

Maybe I should have been worried. But all that was processing through my mind was that I would be getting Ally away from the "thick headed idiot". I got up obediently, not helping but to give another glare towards Elliot.

Ally didn't waste any time. She grabbed me by the hood of my sweatshirt and dragged me out of the double doors of the cafeteria. I almost knew where she was taking me before we even got there. The band room.

"What was that?" Ally asked in disbelief as soon as she closed the door.

Playing the innocent game wasn't going to work with her, but I tried it anyway. "What was what?" I asked. If anything, it seemed to make her even angrier.

"You know what I'm talking about," she scowled. "You were the one telling me yesterday that I was ruining your love life. Now look who's talking."

She did have a good point there. I found myself trapped. "Sorry Alls," I told her. Even I couldn't find the sincerity in my voice. Because I didn't regret what I did. "I just don't think that he's the right guy for you."

"But it's my life," Ally protested. She crossed her arms, frowning deeply. "I think I can take care of myself." True. But that doesn't mean I had to like it.

"Guys like him are bad news," I insisted.

Ally stubbornly refused. "He seems nice enough."

"Please Alls," I begged. My heart was starting to pound against its will.

"Why?" Ally demanded.

_Why? _I couldn't answer it. Because I didn't know the answer to it myself. And I didn't want to answer it. My heart refused to consider the possibility that I might be…._jealous. _"B-because," I stammered out.

Ally raised her brow, impatiently waiting. "I don't want to see you get hurt," was my horrible excuse. I said it _so _convincingly, I almost winced at it.

"And you say I'm the bad liar," Ally seemed to be thinking the same thing.

I glared at her. "Ally!" I said. Whether my excuse was believable or not, my main focus was on one thing: to keep Ally away from Elliot. "Just please promise me that you won't go out with him."

"Why?" was the repeated question.

"B-because," I fumbled. Like last time, no words came to my mouth. I glared at her in frustration. And then I realized that I couldn't answer her question. _Why? _I didn't have an answer. "Just don't, okay?"

That came out worse than it already was. Ally threw her arms up in exasperation. "I can't believe you Austin!" she burst out. "How can you just assume-" her phone rang, drowning the rest of her sentence out.

She snapped open her flip phone, accepting the call. "This isn't over," she scowled at me as she held the phone to her ear.

I felt annoyance crawl up my throat. Despite Ally's stubbornness, I promised myself that I wasn't going to let her leave this room until she agrees about the Elliot-situation. "Oh you bet it's not," I muttered under my breath.

Ally ignored me as she pressed the phone to her ear. "Hello?" she asked. There was a slight pause as the caller spoke. "Yes," Ally's next words came out uncertain. I watched as she turned into a shade of ghost white.

Every problem that I had at the moment seemed to drain away as I watched her. Something definitely wasn't right. Ally froze as if she was a statue, her eyes staring at me in what almost looked like complete horror.

Taking the phone from her frozen hands, I held it up to my ear. "Hello?" I asked, almost afraid of what was going to come out.

"Hello," the voice sounded relived. "Are you a friend to Miss Dawson?"

"Yeah," I was almost surprised how strong my voice came out.

There was a slight pause. It was almost like a warning: _brace yourselves. _"I'm so sorry to report," the caller said slowly. "But Mr. Dawson and the young girl with him have suffered a severe car accident. Can both you and Miss Dawson come over immediate? The girl…it's not looking too good."

_Beth. _My blood went cold. _It's not looking too good. _It took everything I had at that moment to keep myself from crumpling to the ground, rolling up in a ball. "Okay," I managed to get out. "We'll be there soon."

I shut the phone so hard, I almost heard a crack. I felt myself start to shake. Beth. Little, innocent Beth was in the hospital. If I was feeling this way, I didn't even want to know how Ally was feeling right now.

Ally. Her face contorted into something that made my heart twist. Her bottom lip trembled as her knees began to wobble. _Stay strong for her, _I ordered myself. If anything, that was the least I could give her. _Stay strong. _

I caught Ally just in time as we both crumbled to the ground. Ally burst into tears, a horrible rack of sobs erupting through the room. "It's okay," I told her softly as she continued to cry, only to realize how stupid my words must have sounded. Ally just gave a slight shake of her head.

For what seemed like forever, we sat there, embracing as Ally continued to sob her eyes out. I stayed there, not saying a word. Mostly because I didn't trust myself to speak, finding myself centimeters away towards Ally's same reaction.

But whether we both liked it or not, they were waiting for us at the hospital. _It's not looking to good. _I felt a sob slowly crawl up my throat, but I swallowed it down. Right now, Ally needed someone to be her rock.

And I was going to be just that.

"Alls, we have to go," I told her, only to find my voice weak and squeaky. "They're waiting for us at the hospital." Not waiting for a response, I got her to her feet and slowly led her out of the school.

* * *

My driving was so disoriented, I wasn't sure how we even got to the hospital in the first place. I messily parked the car, unbuckling as soon as the car engine stopped. "C'mon Ally," I said, my voice strong than it's been for the past half hour.

Ally looked small against the car's shotgun. Her body trembled as she hastily tried to wipe the tear streaks on her cheeks. "I-I'm scared," she stammered out.

I stopped mid-way of opening the door. A knot that was growing my stomach starting turning into a pile of mush as I looked at Ally. "I am too," I confessed. Ally grew quiet, not arguing as I helped her out of the car.

Throwing my arms around her, almost protectively, I led her into the hospital, straight towards the check-in desk. The closer we got, the more Ally seemed to panic. "Keep it together Alls," I told her gently.

We stumbled towards the desk, where the secretary was writing on a clipboard. As soon as her eyes hit us, her whole body composition slumped. "Miss Dawson?" she guessed, her voice turning soft.

In my arms, Ally gave a small nod. "Down the hall, first room to the right," the secretary directed. Her eyes held something. Pity. As if she knew something we didn't. And that's probably what scared me the most.

* * *

_I had to cut off as my voice starting making that horrible cracking noise. For once, Officer Berkley didn't look at me as if I was just a random kid that he wanted to keep out of trouble. For once, his voice actually softened. _

_ He hesitated before asking, "What happened?"_

_ Did I want to answer? No, not at all. But I forced my voice to work, feeling my hands start to tremble. "When we got towards the room, the doctor met us outside," I told him after taking a pause to recollect myself. _

_ My heart felt like it suddenly gained two hundred pounds as I felt myself start to lose it again. Choking the last words out, "He told us straight out. B-Beth…" my voice seemed to lose all form of use as it twisted. _

_ I didn't have to say it. Officer Berkley got the rest of the story just by my facial expression. His face fell. "I-" he faltered, as if struggling what to say. "I'm sorry."_

_ Stay strong. Despite my thoughts, I struggled to keep myself together. _

* * *

There was nothing they could do. The doctor couldn't have told us any easier. I wanted to yell at him, saying that they had to _try _something. They couldn't just give up like that. Because this killing my best friend right now. It was killing _me_.

Ally stood there as if she lost all source of life. As stiff as a board, she stayed there, looking at the doctor in disbelief and horror. I felt something prick my eyes, but I quickly wiped it away. But I knew that Ally saw it.

I couldn't stay here. I couldn't watch her like this. I couldn't _see _Beth.

My promise to stay strong for Ally and be her rock ultimately failed as I jumped to my feet. And what did I do? I ran.

* * *

No one was home when I arrived. Good. I didn't want anyone to witness my state. I slammed the door to my house so hard, I almost felt the whole building shake in protest. It was as if my body was my own GPS system as it lead me straight upstairs towards my bedroom.

Shutting the door tightly, I finally let out the yell that was slowly starting to grow in my stomach. My back collided with the wall as I felt myself lose it.

I slowly slid down to the ground, the door being my only support. Anger. Horrible, hot fury filled me up. Anger at the doctors. Anger at the stupid birthday party that got Beth into this mess. Anger at the driver.

My breath started to quicken. It was almost controlling, that anger. In one swift motion, I grabbed the first thing in sight: a vase. And I smashed it against the ground. It hit the floors with a _crash _as glass skittered through the room.

Ally wasn't here to witness this. There was no need for me to stay strong anymore. Not here. I let out a yell of frustration as I kicked the glass around.

Suddenly, everything breakable that was somehow related to Beth got crashed against the ground.

Picture frame. _Crash._

Mirror. _Crash._

Electronics. _Crash._

There I was taking out my anger on everything in the room. Until my eyes landed on the guitar.

It was as if finally jolting myself into reality. Like I finally realized what a mess I made in my bedroom. What a mess _I _was at the moment. My hands slowly wrapped around the neck of the guitar.

And it was like hitting me with a cold rod. Something flashed through my mind. _"Music makes me happy," _Beth had said once, when I asked her why she loved it when I sang to her. _"It helps me do this." _She had used two of her fingers to forcefully tilt the tips of her lips upward. Into a smile.

And a smile was something that we all needed right now.

* * *

The hospital seemed different as I entered it once again. Dreary. Like as if it was holding a bucketful of death. And I hated the reminder of what was to come.

I quickly ran towards the room, exactly where the secretary has directed us before. Down the hall… first room to the right… I skittered to a stop. The door was open. It was as if activating a time bomb as leaned by the doorway, peeking in.

"You're going to be going to a new home, Beth," I heard Ally say softly. No one recognized my presence. "You're going to love it there. I-It's beautiful. You're going to be a princess." My heart clenched so hard, it hurt.

Beth's eyes lit up. And for a moment, it didn't look as if she was at death's doorstep. No. It looked like she was Beth Dawson: the innocent, cheery little girl. She let out a sound which sounded a cross between a squeal and a cough.

"Really?" she squeaked out. "Are you and Daddy going to come with me? Then Daddy can be a prince and you can be a princess with me."

Ally's voice caught in her throat, but somehow, she kept it steady. Suddenly, I saw that she made the same promise that I did. _Stay strong_. "Someday we'll be there," she promised. "But…but first, you're going to go there by yourself. Mommy's going to be there."

Beth never met her mom personally. Correction: she was too young to remember who Penny Dawson was. But Ally made sure to keep the memory of their mom alive. Beth had heard about her enough times to understand.

"Mommy?" Beth repeated excitedly. "I'm going to see Mommy?"

"Yeah," was the hoarse reply. "You're going to see Mommy."

I had to close my eyes to support myself as Beth asked, "When will we go see Mommy?" she asked curiously. Ally's next words came out so broken, I hated myself for making her go through this alone.

"I don't know."

"Can we say good bye to Austin first?"

My breath caught in my throat as my eyes flew open. My heart was pounding, hands trembling. I forced the tears down as I used this chance to step in, "Sure, why not?" Both Beth and Ally turned to me in surprise.

I raised the guitar in my hands. "But how about one last song first?"

* * *

(_Ally: italics _underlined: Austin **both: bolded**)

_I remember tears streaming down your face_

_When I said "I'll never let you go"_

_When all those shadows almost killed your light_

_I remember you said "Don't leave me here alone"_

_But all that's dead is gone and passed tonight_

Ally's voice cracked as she watched her sister snuggle against the hospital blankets. Beth gave an occasional wince of pain, causing me to flinch. I wanted to reach out for her. Comfort her. Tell her that everything would be okay. But I didn't as I quietly watched them, my fingers running over the guitar.

Just close your eyes, the sun is going down

_You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now_

**Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound**

Beth let out a small sigh as she closed her eyes. Ally tensed instantly. I knew what she was thinking. Swallowing the continuous knot in my throat, I forced myself to meet her eyes. _It'll be okay, _I told her silently.

Don't you dare look out your window

Darling, everything's on fire

The war outside our door keeps raging on

**Hold on to this lullaby**

**Even when the music's gone**

_Gone_

Almost against my will, I thought back to when I was singing 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' to Beth one night when she couldn't fall to sleep. She had gone asleep the minute I hit the first note. And now, it looks like nothing's changed.

_Just close your eyes_

The sun is going down

_You'll be alright_

No one can hurt you now

_Come morning light_

You and I'll be safe and sound

As Ally and I harmonized together, a cold chill surged down my back. Beth was dozing off, her chest rising up and down raggedly. I almost hit the wrong chord on the guitar as I felt my fingers go numb.

**Just close your eyes**

I refused to think about what could happen next. Ally's eyes showed obvious panic and I forced my own down. "It's going to be okay," I told her softly.

**You'll be alright**

Beth smiled as she let out a small sound that was a cross between a yawn and a sigh. She looked so peaceful, as if she wasn't on her death bed.

**The morning light,**

**You and I'll be safe and-**

I lost all grip on my guitar as it hit the ground with a _crash. _Ally let out a sob, her knees beginning to tremble. I caught her just in time as we both crashed to the ground. I wrapped my arms around her shaking figure.

For a moment, the room was wracked with tears. "Sound," I finished the song quietly, burying my face into her hair. Ally let out another whimper as I felt her tears splatter against my t-shirt. I felt the world slip from under me.

People say that 'real men' shouldn't cry. And when I was younger, I used to believe that. _Be a man, _I would always tell myself. There was no way that I would ever be caught crying. But now, it was physically impossible. And I didn't even bother to hide my tears.

And at the moment, I didn't care if the whole world sees them.

**I am sooooo sorry! I know it's been over a week since I've updated and I feel SO bad! I was gone for the week and didn't have internet access. I'm really, really, really, really sorry! I hope that this extra-long chapter makes up for it. Again, I feel horrible. This summer has been so busy, it's been hard to update lately. **

**Anyway, I really hope you liked the chapter. It had me sobbing as I was typing it out onto the computer. **

**I just want to thank you guys all again for the support and reviews. They just make my day and they're just...INCREDIBLE! You all ROCK! Thank you for just sticking with me through my crazy updating schedule and for just reading my story in the first place! I'm so incredibly thankful for you all! **


	10. Chapter 10

**My reaction to see that Wingman: Austin's POV got 300+ reviews:**

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**THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Guys, you are seriously AMAZING! I can't believe we made it to over 300 reviews when we're only on the 10th chapter. You all just simply made my day :D Thank you all so much! No words can describe how happy and thankful I am to have readers that are so supportive and 100% incredible :D Most of you have even went through the first Wingman with me. And the thought of that makes me soo unbelievably happy :D**

**I love you all! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

A vampire. That pretty much described my condition the following day. I spent that time curled under my blanket. Except for my mom, who only came in to bring me breakfast, I closed myself off from the rest of the world.

Even Ally. Especially Ally. We haven't seen or talked to each other since that time in the hospital yesterday. But I knew that she wanted it like that. We both had to go through our grieving alone. In our own ways.

My heart gave another clench as I rolled tighter into my covers.

_Don't think about it, _I told myself. I refused to think about life without Beth Dawson. How it would be like not to come over at night to sing her a lullaby. Or read her the countless amounts of fairytale books at night.

So much for not thinking about it.

My thoughts got cut off as I heard someone enter my room, the door closing firmly behind her. I didn't even have to look to know who it was. Instinctively, I rolled around so that my body was facing the wall.

"Goodness Austin," I heard my mom say. "It's like a cave in here."

Before my mouth could open in protest, the blinds to my windows opened up, producing a horrible stream of light throughout the room. I let out a hiss, ducking under my blanket as it nearly burned my eyes out.

I heard my mom scoff as with one swift motion, she swept the covers off the bed. It tumbled to the floor. "Leave me alone," I mumbled, my arms rising in a protective motion across my face. I refused to open my eyes.

"Austin, this can't be healthy," my mom said. I felt my bed shift in weight as she sat down at the foot of the bed. "I'm starting to get worried for you."

A strange sense of anger rose in my stomach. "I'm fine," I couldn't help but spit out. It wasn't her fault, and I knew that. But I felt my pain at Beth's death dangerously start to grow in my stomach. And I hated it.

"No you're not," her next words came out firmly.

I scowled, turning away from her only to snap straight back. "Look at me Austin," my mom demanded, almost forcing me to look at her in the eyes.

"Mom-"

"Now." Her tone left no room for argument.

A small groan escaped from my mouth as I finally turned to face her. My mom was obviously worried. I could see it just by looking at her eyes.

"I'm really sorry about Beth," she said slowly, after taking a short pause. "But, Honey, hiding under your bed isn't going to help with anything."

No it wasn't. We both knew that plain and simple. But that didn't mean that I had to like it. I didn't want to embrace the pain. Face it. It's cowardly, I know. But I couldn't- _wouldn't_- come out into the open.

At least, not yet.

Seeing my lack of reply, my mom continued softly. "I'm not in here to drag you out of your room," she told me. "But I was talking to Mr. Dawson. He was really concerned for both you and Ally. The doctors wouldn't let him out of the hospital just yet and so he was wondering if you can do him a favor."

I didn't have to ask to know what that 'favor' was. I felt my stomach sink. "Mom," I managed to get out. "Ally and I aren't ready to see each other yet. I would be willing to check up on her but I don't think that it's the best-"

"That's not what he wanted," my mom politely cut me off. "Mr. Dawson realized that Beth still needs a funeral, which he is unable to provide while stuck in the hospital. So he was wondering if maybe…"

I almost felt as if I was going to throw up. The mere thought of attending Beth's own funeral made my stomach twist. A horrible image appeared in my head of her grave stone- I blinked hard, swallowing down the lump in my throat.

"A f-funeral," I stammered out. "He wants me to plan Beth's-" I had to cut myself off, given that my voice was starting to make a horrible cracking noise.

My mom's expression almost looked sympathetic. "You're hurting," she said, as if she was stating the obvious, "and I know that. But just because Beth passed away means that her memory's gone as well."

It almost didn't feel right. Picturing a bunch of people dressed in black. _Be happy, _I almost heard Beth say. And that would be the moment where she would forcefully push my frown 'upside down'. Into a smile.

Beth was the type of person who would cry when she would see someone else crying, even before she knew the reason why. She _hated _seeing anyone, even complete strangers, being sad.

She would always find a way to turn that frown into a smile.

_Don't cry, _Beth had told me once one day. She would have wrapped her small arms around my neck, acting like my own mom. And right there, she would have cried her eyes out, almost as if she was in more pain then I was.

Because that was just the person she was like.

And thinking about how I was reacting to this whole mess… there was no way Beth would have a smile on her face right now. _It doesn't mean that her memory is gone as well. _No, I decided. And people deserved to remember Beth Dawson.

She deserved to be remembered. Cared about.

And that's exactly what I was going to do.

* * *

In exactly three days, everything was complete. The funeral home. Flowers. Invitations. Ceremony. Everything to the slightest detail was complete for the next day, when the funeral was scheduled to take place.

And I was ready to drop to my feet in exhaustion. But there was something almost… freeing about it all. As if planning Beth's funeral eased the pain that was firing up in my stomach. Like I was slowing facing the fact that I had to let it go.

Slowly, it didn't hurt to think about Beth.

…And I was slowly readying to see Ally again.

Taking a deep breath, I straightened my clothes for the hundredth time. In front of me, the doorbell stood there, almost mockingly. Why was it so nerve-wracking just to press a stupid button?

Before I could chicken out of this, my hand slammed against the doorbell. Even from outside, I could hear someone tramping down the steps. _Calm down, _I ordered myself, feeling my hand start to twitch nervously.

It was just Ally. My best friend. There was nothing to worry about.

The door suddenly swung open, revealing the familiar brunette. "Hi," was the tired greeting. "I really appreciate your sympathy, but I really need-" her voice cut off, as if she just realized that it was _me _standing right in front of her.

I almost didn't recognize her. Putting this in the nicest way possible, she looked _horrible. _Her eyes had dark, sagging circles surrounding them, losing all its sparkle. It's only three days, but she looked as if she lost half her body weight.

And suddenly, I feared for my best friend's health.

Gathering up my confidence, I shuffled my feet. "Hey Alls," I said quietly.

"What are you doing here?" I flinched at how harsh Ally's response was. _I deserve it, _I tried not to hate myself at that moment. I left her for days, letting her to handle her sister's death by herself. What kind of friend was I?

"I wanted to make sure you're okay," I told her with every drop of sincerity I had in my body. Almost as soon as the words came out of my mouth, I realized how stupid that must have sounded. Of course she wasn't okay.

Ally grew quiet. An awkward silence filed through the room, making an uncomfortable sensation crawl up my back. After a moment passed, it was starting to grow obvious that Ally wasn't going to talk anytime soon.

I sighed. "Look," I told her quietly, my mouth forming the speech that I had worked on for hours, practicing and re-writing. "I know that you're angry and sad and think that this is all so unfair. I felt the same way."

A knot grew in my stomach. "But…" I paused hesitantly. How was Ally going to take this? I had no idea. "B-Beth is in a better place now and…" my voice started to crack and against my will, I found my voice unable to function.

"And?" just as I expected, Ally's tone was almost challenging.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to cooperate and met Ally in the eyes. "And I let her go," I told her truthfully. As soon as I said it, I realized how true it was. _Stay happy, _Beth reminded me. And for her, I would.

_I promise, _I thought. For the first time in days, I felt myself smile. _I promise._

Ally's vision snapped towards me. I almost knew what she was thinking. And it was something that I had thought myself a thousand times before.

"I know it's hard," I told her, resisting the urge to wrap the brunette in a hug. "But over the three days…I realized that Beth would never liked seeing this-" I pushed the tips of my mouth down with my fingers, forming a frown.

Something that Beth had done so many times in the past.

Ally let out a small laugh. It was short and hardly noticeable, but it was there. And it was as if jolting me with an electric shocker. I felt something stir under my stomach, creating a warm sensation through my body.

I grinned in triumph. I felt Ally open up slightly as she bit her lip to conceal the smile on her face. _Now, _I smirked. _Just have to get her out of the house…. _

* * *

Amusement parks. Probably the best thing ever invented.

The adrenaline rush that you get when you go on the crazy thrill-rides? They were completely what I lived for. Combine that with the funnel cake and cotton candy? It was a good thing that Miami Beach had one right at its boardwalk.

As much as I loved amusement parks, Ally wasn't as fond of it.

"That was awesome!" I whooped, doing a small victory dance as both Ally and I exited the best ride we've ridden all day. The brunette next to me looked as if she was going to be sick as she let out a groan.

Ally dragged her feet against the boardwalk, her eyes closed tightly. "Worst. Ride. Ever," she lashed out. I couldn't help but laugh at her reaction, grabbing her gently by the shoulders to guide her throughout the fair.

"It wasn't that bad," I said, trying to contain my laughter.

Ally stiffened under my hold. "I think I'm going to puke."

It was a clear warning: _make me go on another ride, and you're going to regret it. _I raised my arms in surrender. "Okay fine," I gave in before her lunch made reappearance. "What would you like to do, Miss Dawson?"

Ally visibly relaxed as she looked around the carnival, her eyes scanning the different booths. She stopped at one: a game where you got three balls to knock down a pyramid of cans. The prize? A giant stuffed monkey.

"The monkey's mine," Ally said with a small squeak. She grabbed my arm and started dragging me to the booth. I couldn't help but laugh at her childishness.

Handing the attendant a dollar bill, he smiled and handed Ally the three balls.

"Okay Ally D," I couldn't help but tease her. "Show us how it's done."

Ally flashed me a playfully glare. She grabbed one of the balls and narrowed her eyes carefully, completely concentrating on the target. I waited for her to throw it, but it never came. I felt myself shift impatiently.

I faked a yawn, trying not to laugh. "You know, we can't take all day."

"Don't rush me!" Ally snapped, not even bothering to glance at me. 

I burst out laughing, resisting the urge to ruffle her hair, which I doubted she would have appreciated. Ally threw the ball. It hit the cans harmlessly, bouncing off of them so easily, it was almost pathetic.

Ally seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Really?" she huffed out, grabbing her second ball. This time, she wasted no time launching it at the pyramid, only to have the top can crash to the ground. She scowled in frustration.

Grinning, I gently shoved myself into Ally's place. "Let me try," I told her.

"The game's rigged," I heard Ally grumble, crossing her arms.

Ignoring her, I grabbed the last ball, focusing myself for a moment. Aiming carefully, I pitched the ball like a baseball. It soared straight through the pyramid of cans, crashing them to the ground.

The attendant smiled, handing the monkey to Ally, who hugged it tightly.

"Lucky shot," she protested.

I felt a strange round of affection growing in my chest, spreading throughout every part of my being. "Uh-hu," I snickered. "Right."

Rolling her eyes, Ally opened her mouth to insist when a young girl interrupted us, dragging her windblown mom up to the booth. "Mommy!" she squealed. "I want the dolly!" She was so much like Beth, it made my stomach twist.

The mom looked at the game, wincing hard. "I don't know, Gracie," she told her gently. "I'm never really good at these kind of games."

Gracie frowned in disappointment. I almost saw a perfect replica of Beth right there. I felt my heart get increasingly heavy as I stepped up towards the two.

"Here," I offered them a smile. The mom looked almost relieved as she handed the attendant the money. In return, I got the correct amount of balls.

It didn't take long for the cans to knock to the ground. The look on Gracie's face as she got her stuffed turtle made it all worth it. She let out a squeal. "What do you say?" the mom asked.

Gracie peered up at me, her head almost covered by the turtle. "Thank you," she said timidly. I felt my heart do a double take as I knelt down next to her.

"No problem," I smiled, forcing my voice to stay steady.

Next to me, I saw Ally let out a small sob. I knew immediately that she shared my same thoughts. "Hey," I told her softly, rubbing her shoulders, hoping that it would serve as some form of comfort. "We'll be okay."

Ally nodded tearfully, but it was probably more for my sake.

I hated seeing my best friend like this. My eyes wandered around the carnival, looking for something, anything that could cheer her up. My vision hit the cotton candy stand. Perfect. "I'll buy you some cotton candy, okay?" I asked her.

Ally cracked a smile. "Thanks Austin," she said softly.

Something about the tone of her voice made shivers go down my spine. The way she looked at me was the highlight of my day. And even as I waited in line for the candy, I felt her gaze bore through me, making my stomach twist.

There was something about her look that made my heart pound a mile a minute. Something different. And whatever it was…I actually liked it.

**Awwww...Austin's starting to feel a little something for a certain brunette ;D I'm really looking forward to the next chapter because I think I know what all happens then :D**

**Before I go, WHO SAW THE MOON WEEK AND MENTORS promo last night? I'm seriously flipping out XD That episode looks like it has so much Auslly in it... AHHHHHHH! **


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry! Wow...it feels like I start every A/N off like that. But really, I am so, so, so SORRY! I promise that my updates will be faster, but so far, I haven't lived up to it. School started this week and it's been incredibly busy, I hardly had the time to even get to my computer. Again, I feel horrible! You have every reason to be mad at me. **

**I want to thank everyone again for being so patient. I really don't deserve readers like you. You guys are INCREDIBLE! **

**I really hope you guys enjoy the next chapter! It's the time of the 'first kiss' :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

"Austin Monica Moon! You better put me down right now, or else-" Ally interrupted her own threat as she went into another fit of giggles. Her voice occasionally got shaken as she helplessly bumped against my shoulder.

Laughing, I gave her another swing. "Scary," I told her. Ally pounded on my back, though her upside-down position made her attack weaker than intended.

"The amusement park was bad enough," she whined. I could almost see her pouting. "Do we really have to go to the beach too?" If it wasn't obvious already, Ally was very picky when it came to entertainment choices.

It was too late to back out now. We were already half-way towards the crashing ocean. Even from where I was, I could see the sun starting to set. My mind immediately flashed towards the lighthouse, which was just to the right of the beach. It gave a perfect view of the sunset.

But for a long time, the lighthouse was my private escape. A place where I would go when I need time alone. It was originally abandoned, restricted. That seemed to suit everyone just fine, since no one in Miami seemed to care about the broken down building. If only they could see at the top…

I've never told anyone about it. Not even Ross, who I've confined almost e_verything _to. Maybe it was just the idea that I had my own safe haven. Somewhere to go, even when it felt like everything was collapsing.

Ally… she has been my best friend for as long as I could remember. Even more than that. She meant more to me than anyone. She was more _important _to be than anything. And I already could tell that she would love the lighthouse.

I must have been drowning too deep into my thoughts. Tripping over my own feet, the sand entangled them. With a yell, I crashed face-first into the sand, bringing Ally straight down with me. She yelped.

"Austin!" she sputtered, jumping to her feet as she frantically started to wipe the sand that was stubbornly sticking to her clothes. With a moan, I got up to my feet, only to be met with a fierce glare.

Laughing nervously, I gave what hopefully was an apologetic smile. "Sorry."

Ally huffed, but the laughter in her eyes proved that she wasn't really angry. She shook her head at me disapprovingly. "What just happened?" she asked, looking as if she was trying hard not to smile. "You tripped over the air?"

I stuck my tongue out at her. "Ha ha," I rolled my eyes at her, making her give out a small, breathy laugh. I figured that the less teasing I got from her, the better. Hoping to change the subject, I directed her towards the ocean.

Our tumble brought us straight to the waves.

"C'mon Alls," I urged her, gently tugging her along. "A walk on the beach can't be that bad." Apparently it could, judging from the way Ally was reluctantly following. But she didn't protest as we walked towards the shore.

The waves crashed against our feet. Ally gave a shiver as it hit her, her mouth forming into a scowl. "Not a big fan of the beach?" I asked her, though I knew the answer before it even came. Ally rolled her eyes.

"Ha ha," she mimicked my actions just a few moments ago.

I snickered, returning my focus back on the horizon, where the sun was slowly transforming it into an array of colors: pink, purple, red, yellow. It was all there.

My mind almost imagined Ally's reaction if she saw the bird's eye view of it. Eyes wide. Mouth open. Speechless. Her face producing a look of pure glee that I almost got goose bumps thinking about it. And I made my decision.

Turning to Ally, I got her attention. "I have to show you something," I told her, grabbing her by the arm before a look of shock could even cross her face. A small squeak escaped out of her as I started to drag her across the beach.

"Austin," she huffed behind me. "Slow down."

"We have to hurry," I told her, not giving her words a chance to process fully through my head. The sun was at a perfect spot in the sky right now. A clear signal saying _'look at me'_. Ally obeyed, though her silent aura proved her annoyance.

I could almost feel her centimeters away from slapping me when we finally reached the lighthouse. I skittered to a stop, my body almost crashing into Ally's. "The lighthouse?" she asked skeptically.

Grinning, I nodded. Questions seemed to be gathering up in Ally's mouth, based off of her shocked expression. I gestured her to follow me towards the entrance at the base of the building.

"Austin," Ally's voice came out ragged. "It's locked. We can't get in even if we-"

Jiggling the doorknob a few times, the door flew open, revealing the dark path of stairs leading upward. "What were you saying Alls?" I asked her in triumph.

It took Ally a moment to regain herself. "Never mind," she said, almost grudgingly as she tried, yet failed to hide her surprise. I couldn't blame her. This lighthouse was known to be just a rusty decoration for Miami Beach.

Hardly anyone, if none at all, even think about going inside.

Grabbing Ally by the arm once again, I led her up the countless of stairs, climbing up them quickly. Ally? She didn't seem as eager as she blindly followed. "A-Austin," she occasionally tried to protest.

We reached the top of the steps. Ally looked at me indignantly, as if trying to decide whether or not she should push me off the top of the lighthouse, but she was too out of breath to even get a frown out.

Barely giving her a time to let in a breath, I dragged her down a narrow hallway, leading to another door. I've been here so many times, I could almost do it in my sleep. The barrier swung open, proving entrance to the balcony.

I took a step out first. The waves turned beneath us. And above? A perfect sunset. Colors mashed together, creating something almost indescribable. It was as if stepping into a painting, though no artist could replicate _this_.

Like all times, my breath caught in my throat. But it ended up being let out in relief. "We didn't miss it." I gestured Ally go come forward.

My best friend curiously stepped out, every trace of annoyance gone from her face. She reached the balcony railing, her hand clenching around it as if to give her support. "Wow," she breathed out.

I could understand her awe. But for a moment, watching the expression grow on Ally's face… the sunset wasn't the most breathtaking sight in the room. The thought passed by my head before I could even reject it.

Forcing myself to focus, I blinked hard. "Do you like-" my question faltered as Ally turned to me. The smile on her face spoke better than words itself.

"T-This is amazing," she said breathlessly.

"Yeah," I agreed. "I used to come here all the time."

_Oops. _Ally turned towards me in surprise. "And you never told me?" she asked. Her tone wasn't angry, more confused. I didn't blame her. We've known each other practically since birth. And since then, we've told one another everything.

Ally was always the one person I knew I could trust.

I shrugged. "Sorry," I told her, hoping she wasn't too offended. "It's just…this place was my safe haven. Where I can escape from everything, you know? Up to now, you're the only one who knows about the lighthouse."

Ally visibly softened. "Thanks Austin," she said. There was something in her voice that made the hairs in the back of my neck stick right up. I shuttered for a reason unknown. "It means a lot that you're willing to share this place with me."

"We're best friends, right?" I grinned.

My words, which I've woven that promise into, caused Ally to grow quiet for a moment. And for that millisecond, her smile dropped. But it happened so fast, I was sure it was my imagination. But something told me I was wrong.

* * *

It was half-way home when Ally started to shiver. Even with the dim light, I could see her small figure chattering as the temperature decided to drop a drastic amount. She tried to ignore it, but it was clear that she was freezing.

Her underdressed outfit of shorts and a spaghetti strap top proved it.

Slipping my sweatshirt off, I stopped Ally in our tracks. "Here," I said, handing her the thick jacket as she turned to me in surprise. It took her a second to realize what I was offering her. She gave a small shake of her head.

"Oh no. It's okay," she assured me. It was almost against her will as Ally's teeth gave the smallest, hidden chatter. But it was enough for me to notice.

I looked at her pointedly. "C'mon," I insisted. Ally's arms crossed stubbornly. My eyes picked out the goose bumps, only furthering my point. I shoved it into her hands. "You need it more than I do right now."

Ally looked as if she was going to protest again. Ignoring her glare, I slipped the hoodie over her head. After a moment of hesitation, Ally slipped her arms into the sleeves. Almost immediately, she closed her eyes, sighing in the warmth.

I almost laughed. Like expected, my sweatshirt was _way _too big on her. The sleeves covered her hands, drooping low to the ground. It looked like a giant against her body. But… she looked….beautiful.

Her eyes flew open, completely catching me off guard. I almost tripped backwards. "Um…" I stammered, my heart suddenly racing. I felt my face become increasingly hot. "Y-You feeling warmer?"

Ally looked almost confused. "Yeah," she said, but her eyes were like a hawk, observing every move I made. I prayed that she didn't see me staring. But the way that she was staring at me proved that she did.

I nodded awkwardly, stuffing my hands in my jean pockets. _Great, _I thought to myself as we continued the rest of the way to Ally's house in silence. _Just great. _Ally caught me staring at her. But there was a bigger problem at hand.

Why _was _I staring at her?

She looked beautiful, no doubt about it. I would admit that. But I always say that. I've even told it to her face a few times. But…this time? It feels like that word has a greater meaning to it than I would ever like to consider.

The sight of Ally's house brought me out of my thoughts. I observed it up and down. The last time I came here, Ally was a horrible mess. Her dad was in the hospital. Her…her sister was g-gone. She was alone.

_Not anymore, _I reminded myself.

Still, I felt uncomfortable leaving her by herself. I turned to Ally. "Are you going to be okay?" the panic in my voice surprised even myself.

Ally smiled, the previous event seemingly gone from her mind. "Yeah," she nodded her head. The way she emphasized it proved that she was 100% truthful. "Thank you so much Austin." I shuffled my feet uncomfortably.

"It was nothing," I insisted, feeling myself blush against my will.

The way she was looking at me…

"No," Ally caught me by surprise. "I don't know what I would do without you." My heart started to foolishly start to pound as we locked eyes. I felt my insides start to melt. "Thank you Austin," she repeated.

I don't know what I was going to do next. Maybe say 'don't worry about it' or 'I was happy too', even though none of those would ever hold what I've been dying to say all day. But I never even got a chance to say it anyway.

Because Ally leaped forward, her hand grabbing the color of my shirt. Before I could fully process what was happening, I got jerked forward. And that's when I realized that Ally was kissing me. On the lips.

It was as if time froze in place. My mind seemed to explode as every thought disappeared into thin air. The ground seemed to slip from under me as I found myself as frozen as ice, stiff as a board.

Ally pulled back as quicker than light itself. My jaw dropped, my eyes instinctively widening. My mouth urged to say something. Anything. But it was physically impossible as my lips went into a tingling frenzy.

"Uh…" Ally stammered out, as if just realizing what she did. She blushed harder than a tomato. "Bye!" I hardly noticed that she ran into her house until I found myself staring at an empty blank of air.

For what seemed like forever, I stood there, trying to figure out what the heck just happened. Every muscle in my body seemed to go into freeze mode as I completely lost the ability to move.

Minutes passed. So long that I felt my eyes start to glaze over. Finally, my body seemed to snap into reality. It was almost as if I was being controlled as I spun on my heel and half-stumbled away.

But I couldn't help myself. Stopping in my tracks, I looked over my shoulder towards Ally's house. It was almost as I felt Ally staring at me through her window. Reality finally snapped into me and I finally processed what happened.

I didn't realize the laugh that was in my throat until it escaped.

_Ally Dawson kissed me. _

**Happy dance, happy dance, happy dance! Austin likes Ally! Yes...he hasn't admitted it directly, but he will...soon. DUN DUN DUN :P But yay! They kissed! Well, Ally kissed him. Austin? He just stood there like a doof. Who else agrees? ;D**

**Another massive shout out to...everyone! From my reviewers to my silent readers, you are all AMAZING! I'll TRY and update ASAP. Trust me, if I had it my way, I would be writing chapters out 24/7. Unfortunately, school forbids it :/ **

**Ooo! Before I go, I want to just give the small announcement that I started a poll *happy dance* :D Please check it out on my profile! For those who read my other stories, the question is "which story of mine do you like the best?" You don't have to vote if you don't want to. I was just curious :D **


	12. Chapter 12

**AHHHH! Thank you all for all the reviews! They were all just...INCREDIBLE! I loved reading all of them SO much! They just completely brightened my day :D Thank you for all being so patient with me as I try and find time to write through my crazy school schedule :D I really hope you enjoy the next chapter of Wingman: Austin's POV!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

I was starting to think that Ross was going to demand a video recording. Because it took twenty repeats and a whole hour of going into detail before he _finally _believed that Ally and I actually kissed.

"Wow," he said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Yeah," I muttered under my breath, resting my head on my desk as I peered up at my computer. I got _zero _sleep last night, taking that half of it was taken up by my thoughts on the one and only Ally Marie Dawson.

My mind still couldn't grip over the fact that she kissed me. Or the thought that I…may have actually liked it. There was no possible way to hide it. Because the option was right there, so strong that it was almost impossible to miss it.

It was something that I actually bothered to consider before. But it was only know when I only took it seriously. That I actually might just have the _smallest, tiniest _crush on my best friend.

_Lies, _a voice insisted in my head. I let out a shutter as I still felt the shivers go down my spine from when her lips met mine. Her soft, gorgeous- _Okay, _I reasoned. Maybe it was more than a _tiny _crush.

"You got it bad," Ross's voice snapped me into reality.

Blinking hard, my focus went straight back to my computer screen. "What?"

Ross gave me a goofy smile. One that quickly turned into a smirk. "You were dazing out," he said. His face wiped clear of emotion, as if mimicking me. "Honestly Austin, you're looking like a lovesick puppy right now."

My chest felt as if an elephant suddenly decided to fall on it. My throat contracted, making a choking noise. "I do not," I protest, feeling the room start to become increasingly hot. Forcing the thought aside, I glared at my brother.

"Sure," Ross rolled his eyes. "If you can just see yourself…"

I wondered it was physically possible to punch my brother through Skype. "Okay," I said, closing my eyes as I tried to clear my thoughts. "Look, if you're just going to tease me the whole time then-"

"Wait!" Ross interrupted me as my hand reached to close my computer screen. The smirk on his face wiped away, his expression suddenly turning deadly serious. "I'm sorry, Bro. It's just that everyone's been waiting so long for you and Ally to stop being your obtuse selves-" My frown was enough to cause his voice to falter.

Sighing, I sunk into my seat, my hands quietly tapping against my desk. Ross wasn't entirely wrong. I was _tired _of cowering back, trying to avoid any possibility. It was time to stop hiding and face the facts.

"Maybe I do like Ally," I admitted. Five words and I felt as if a massive burden slip off my shoulders, suddenly feeling ten times lighter. As if I could jump out of my chair and I would be flying. I didn't realize I was smiling until the smirk reappeared back on Ross's face.

Ross nodded. "Took you long enough to realize it," he said with a light laugh.

* * *

_"I agree with your brother."_

_ To be honest, the slightest twinge of annoyance filled my mouth. Officer Berkley (no surprise) didn't notice the glare I sent him as he enjoyed yet another bag of pretzels. I swear, this guy had an obsession with the mini snacks._

_ Officer Berkley shrugged as he munched on a pretzel, nibbling it carefully. "I mean, c'mon," he said, nudging me so hard I almost fell of my seat. "From what I'm picking up, you're pretty darn in love with this Ally Dawson."_

_ I felt my heart sink, hitting the ground like an anchor. I winced as I felt a pang travel through my veins. The pain, which was momentarily fading, surged straight through me once again. "I-" my voice faltered. _

_ "The point is, Austin," Officer Berkley thankfully led the spotlight of the conversation back on him, "these feelings for her were obviously there for a long time, whether you noticed it or not."_

_ I didn't know which was the most surprising. Officer Berkley actually said something somewhat intelligent or that his words were 100% entirely true. There was no use trying to protest against it. And I wasn't afraid to admit it._

_ He was right. My feelings for Ally went far deeper than my confession to Ross. I was just too stupid to realize it sooner. Maybe if I had, then I wouldn't be in this mess. I wouldn't be in a plane, chasing after Ally, who currently hates me. _

_ If I could, I would go back in time. To completely change the course of this whole story. Revise it until it finished with only one ending that would satisfy me. With Ally straight in my arms. With me. _

* * *

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

"Austin, just take a breath."

My mom's attempt to calm me down failed as I stumbled around, tearing down my closet. _Stupid, stupid, stupid! _I was so involved with my situation with Ally, I completely forgot about the event I arranged myself. Beth's funeral.

If it wasn't for Mr. Dawson, who had called to thank me once again for preparing it all, then I would still be Skyping with Ross. _Stupid! _I gritted my teeth in frustration as I nearly fell on my face as I slipped my suit on.

"How could I have forgotten?" I wanted to punch myself in the face.

Was that really how meager this meant to me? That I would be able to forget it all in a second? This was for _Beth_. My throat swelled up. If I really couldn't have done this one thing for her? Not just for her, but for Mr. Dawson. For _Ally_.

"Don't worry," my mom soothed as she helped adjust the tie that I was fumbling on. "You remembered now, that's what matters. I'm sure it would be fine if you're just a few minutes late."

She didn't understand. There was no possible way she could have understood. She didn't know Beth like I did. But there was no way I was going to say that to her face. My mom didn't notice my expression as she stepped back.

Her eyes observed me for a moment. "Perfect," she nodded with satisfaction.

I looked down at the suit. Black. Head to toe in black. The shoes, the pants, the shirt. Everything. It was perfectly appropriate for a funeral. A sign of mourning and remembrance. But something didn't feel right.

This: the black, mourning, tears. None if it felt right. Of course, it never did. But with Beth… I could just imagine how she would feel if she saw everyone's expression at her own death. _It's okay, _I almost heard her say. _I'm okay._

She was five. She wouldn't have understood any of it.

Really, Beth only understood three basic things off her own personal 'survival list'. 1) Coloring 2) Ice cream 3) Fairy tales. Books and stories with the princess and her knight of shining armor. Everything that only her young brain could see the deepness and beauty of it all.

A thought flashed through my head. _Fairy tales. _Before I even realized it, I was smiling. _"But how about one last song?" _I remembered saying at the hospital. That one chance to get one last melody to her.

"Okay Beth," I said quietly, almost feeling her watching me. I remembered how I once went as a prince for Halloween, just for Beth herself. She was unbelievably happy, jumping up and down, singing, _"Austin's a prince!"_

"How about one last bedtime story?"

* * *

Late. I was unbelievably late. Stumbling out of my car, I nearly tripped over my own feet as I ran through the cemetery. As I passed by the grave stones, I tried not to remember that Beth would soon be under one of them.

Down into the cold, dark ground… It was too painful to think about.

Skittering to a stop, I almost crashed into the doors of the funeral home. Even from out here, I could hear someone speaking, her voice clear throughout the obvious silence. Muffled by the door, I could vaguely identify it. _Ally._

Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm down my nerves. I was Austin Moon. I could do this. Before I could completely chicken out, my hand gripped the door handle, slowly pulling it open. It creaked forward, echoing slightly.

No one noticed my appearance. As the door slowly started to reveal more of the scene, it was obvious that their attention was directed towards the front of the room, each of them as silent as a mouse. But one person did seem to realize my presence as soon as I stepped fully into the building.

It didn't take long for Ally's eyes to meet mine, up where she was at the front of the room, the center of everyone's attention. Her speech cut short as she observed me for a moment. A small smile appeared on her face, reflecting my own. And in that moment, I forgot all about what was between us.

Ally was wearing a dress. Pink and frilly. Like she was a character that popped out of one of those Disney princess films. Looking down at my own white suit, I realized with a grin that we both had the same idea.

Maybe Beth wasn't with us anymore to hear another one of the infamous fairytales, but we could, maybe, give her that one last opportunity. _You guys match, _I almost heard her say with a giggle. _A prince and a princess._

"I realized that Beth wouldn't have wanted it like this," it took me a moment to realize that Ally was continuing her speech. But our gazes were like a magnet because no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't leave her eyes. "She was always one who wanted to be a princess. She loved the thought of living in a big castle and wearing pretty pink dresses."

Swallowing hard, I remembered the words that _I _was planning to say myself. When I was standing up there. But it looked as if Ally got it covered. My own words were coming straight out of her mouth.

"But Beth…she would have made Cinderella look pathetic," Ally continued on. Before I could stop myself, I let out a small laugh. "She had an aspect of life that couldn't be overlooked. She thought everyone deserved to have a place in her fairy tale and that life itself was a storybook."

Ally's eyes broke off from mine, her gaze directed towards everyone else in the room. It was as if creating a blockage in my body. Because the shivers that were going down my spine suddenly stopped.

"Even when one of the pages ripped, Beth still managed to stay so optimistic. She never thought of what could go wrong. Just on how the 'they all lived happily ever after' could go. She taught me a lot." Ally let out a trembling breath.

_Me too, _I thought. But this time, unlike all the others, I didn't feel any trace of hurt or pain. Instead, I felt my smile grow bigger. _Me too. _

"And Beth," I think everyone noticed the tear that slipped out of Ally's shining eyes at that moment. "You are my princess." Ally's arms dropped to her side, signaling that she had poured out her heart to the fullest.

For a moment, no one spoke. Ally bit her lip nervously. But I knew that the silence wasn't for the reason she was thinking. Because everyone, I just knew, felt what her speech hit me in the chest.

Love. Ally had just dedicated every drop of love she had for her sister into what she had just said. And I could almost feel Beth, her little five year old self, reflecting back on it. But there was something else…

I didn't realize that I was clapping until everyone joined in. Ally's hands flew to her face, as if she didn't want everyone witnessing her tears. But when I looked at her, I didn't see weakness. And suddenly, I knew what Beth was trying to tell me.

"Don't worry," I said softly, watching as everyone slowly got to their feet, applauding the trembling brunette. I felt my heart pound in a way that was indescribable. "Don't worry, Beth. Don't worry about her."

_ "I'll take care of her." _

**I hope you guys liked it because I really, really, really enjoyed writing this chapter :D**

**Before I go, I have three questions:**

**1) Who. Saw. The. Season. Finale. Promo? I mean jdlkfhdahtoiehwtoihew it looks AMAZING! INCREDIBLE! BEAUTIFUL! PERFECTION! I'm literally shaking with excitement right now :D **

**2) Real Life and Reel Life last night... OMIGOSH! T-They kissed and... they just... I swear, the Austin and Ally writers are KILLING my feels right now. When I saw the pictures on Tumblr and then the video and then the video in HD? Every time I was rolling on the ground, wondering how something could just be so...AHHHH!**

**3) Who's ready for the R5 album this week? I think I have this obsession with One Last Dance XD **


	13. Chapter 13

Catching Ally after the service was literally impossible.

I honestly tried everything, but every time I even managed to catch a glimpse at her, she would be occupied with talking to someone. Soon, there had to be a time when there would be no one else to go to.

She was trying to escape the obvious topic.

But there was no way I was going to let that happen.

My chance finally came as Ally apparently was the only one who wasn't currently engaged in conversation. I didn't waste another second, fearing that the moment would be over. My arm latched forward, grabbing her by the wrist.

Ally turned, as if she was expecting it. Yet there was still an undeniable fear in her eyes. A millennium passed, staring each other down. The look on her face almost dared me to speak. Finally, I did.

My mouth felt like sandpaper. "We have to talk."

For those terrible three seconds, I thought that she was going to protest. But she stayed silent as I dragged her outside, passed the small crowds of people. Ally let out a small squeak of protest, but I ignored it.

The fact that my arms still had goose bumps from when she kissed me? This was something that couldn't just be avoided. Determination set in my stomach as we stepped outside. _Let the awkwardness begin. _

But my words barely let a spare second pass. "So…Princess Ally, huh?" it escaped out of my mouth before I could stop it. The question about _us _still lingered on my tongue, but I bit it down.

Relief flooded my body as Ally rolled her eyes, lowering the tension slightly. "I wouldn't be talking Prince Austin," she said, almost mockingly. She eyed my outfit slightly, wincing as if it almost pained her to think about it.

I laughed, but it came out forced. My attempts ultimately failed as the silence finally started to flood in. Ally wouldn't meet my gaze, her eyes jumping from place to place as she squirmed uncomfortably.

Finally, the knot in my stomach was becoming unbearable. "Look," I sighed, choking the words out. If Ally wasn't going to bring it up, then I _had _to. "We can't really hide from this forever."

Ally didn't reply, her figure stiffening as she developed a sudden interest in the gravestones. The unsaid words were still between us. I could almost sense how much she wanted to speak, to say something.

But that didn't mean the barrier was still blocking her.

What happened that night came back into my mind. Against my will, I found myself blushing. Pushing the thought away, I blurted out, "Why did you kiss me?"

* * *

_"And yes, I'm aware how stupid that sounded," I snapped as Officer Berkley opened his mouth to cut in. The smallest hope that he would cut me some slack immediately got crushed as he burst out laughing anyway._

_ "Why did you kiss me?" he mimicked a high-pitched version of my voice. He shook his head slightly, muttering words to himself that probably wasn't in my favor. "Moon, you're probably the single most thick headed-"_

_ I scowled. "Yeah, yeah," I muttered, sinking into my seat as far as the airplane seatbelt allowed me to. "I get it. Now can you shut up-?"_

_ The officer, however, still continued. "I mean, even I would get the hint! You? A girl kisses you and you still have no idea whatsoever why she…."_

_ Maybe I should have been use to Officer Berkley's teasing. But that didn't mean that I had to like it. I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him, which would probably just make the situation worse for me than it already was. _

_ "Are you done yet?" I scowled as he rambled on. "Because I swear-"_

_ "Yeah, yeah," Officer Berkley waved the comment away. "I'm done messing with you, Moon." I glared at him pointedly and he raised his hands in surrender. "Seriously! I'll even handcuff myself to the roof of this plane if-"_

_ As awarding as that sounded, I forced the smile on my face down. "Good," I scoffed out, but it came out as a laugh. "So anyway…"_

* * *

Ally looked at me as if I just asked if she dropped out of the sky. The look she sent me made me instantly regret ever asking it. The expression on her face was pained, as if she couldn't even believe I even asked her that. Her mouth opened, as if she wanted to reply, but it immediately clamped closed.

I shuffled my feet. Swallowing, I couldn't help but think that maybe this was it. If we didn't sort this out in some way, that our seventeen year friendship changes forever. The mere thought of it made me feel as if I got hit by a truck.

"Look," I said, barely recognizing my own voice. "Can we just…forget about the kiss?" My own words crushed me hard, the world coming crashing down on top of me. Did I really just say that? Was that really all I _had _to say?

Something flashed through Ally's face that ranged from complete disbelief to strangely calm. After a lifetime, she nodded. "Yeah," she said in what was almost a confident tone. "I-It was just….in the moment."

Disappointment hit my throat before I realized that I probably brought this upon myself. I was the one that was willing to forget the kiss. I was the one that suggested it in the first place. I was the one that was the coward.

But I still felt myself sink in relief. We were talking again.

The feeling didn't last long.

As I struggled with what to say, the door behind us flew open, almost smacking us in the face. Cassidy burst out, her eyes lighting up as she met our gaze. "Ally! Austin!" she called out. "I've been looking all over for you guys!"

I bit my tongue in frustration. This was the wake up call. My time with Ally was over. Forcing out a smile, I managed to greet, "Hi Cassidy."

Next to me, Ally trembled. "Hi," she voiced, her voice turning an octave higher. Her face contracted, as if it pained her to put a smile on her face. Ducking her head she muttered a, "Excuse me." Before I could protest, she pushed past us. "I-I need to find my dad for…something."

_Something? _That excuse was so bad, it shouldn't have even been called an excuse. "Wait, Ally-" my protest was drowned out as Ally blurted out, "I'll see you in school!" The doors of the ceremony slammed in my face.

My legs seemed glued to the ground as for a split second, my mind debated whether or not to follow her. My time was up, though, as Cassidy spun myself towards her. "Is she okay?" she asked, almost demanding the answer.

It took me a moment to realize that she was talking about Ally. "Y-Yeah," I stammered out, forcing myself to hide the daze of our past conversation.

Cassidy definitely wasn't convinced. Her blue eyes observed me for a moment to the point where I wanted to sink into the ground. "Okay," she said at last.

My muscles relaxed, but my relief didn't last long. Every part of my body willed to go in and find Ally. Something was wrong. Any idiot could have seen that. And it didn't take a detective to see that Cassidy was involved.

* * *

"What do you want?"

I almost laughed. Ally glared at me through her sleep-clouded eyes. Ruffling her already messy bed hair, my friendly gesture only seemed to make her scowl deepen. "Good morning too, Alls," I joked.

Maybe I should have known better than to knock at her door at six o'clock. A tired Ally definitely wasn't going to be a cooperative one. "What are you doing here?" she mumbled as I invited myself into her house, closing the door behind.

The knot in my throat that I was desperately trying to hide reappeared. "I wanted to make sure you were okay." The thought of what happened yesterday at the cemetery was still fresh in my mind.

It had me turning back and forward in my bed all night.

A part of me hoped that Ally would break down and pour her heart out into a confession. Then I would hug her and then everything would go right back to normal. I would have my best friend back. We would be fine.

But Ally seemed to have a different idea as she lied to me straight through her teeth. "Why wouldn't I be?" she asked innocently, abandoning me by her doorway as she made her way into the kitchen.

The slightest hint of annoyance clouded my thoughts. Pushing it away, I followed her. "You know what I mean," I burst out. "Why did you run away from me like that at Beth's funeral yesterday?"

Ally looked as she was a cat being cornered. "I-I-" she stammered out, her eyes widening it what could only be panic. Triumph flew through my veins.

Crossing my arms, I waited. If she thought that I was just going to back down and leave this subject hanging, she was wrong. Because I was _done_ with just discarding it like it was nothing. In reality, it _was _something.

It was something that couldn't be missed. Because it involved Ally.

My hopes that we would finally make some form of progress got crushed in her next words. "I wanted you to spend more time with Cassidy?" The tone of her voice made it sound more like a question.

Did she really expect me to believe that? There was no possible way that I could have ever bought that. It was as if Ally read my mind. "I'm serious!" she insisted. The way I stared her down must have worked because she squirmed.

"How is it going with her anyway?"

I almost choked on my own breath. It took me a moment to process what she was saying. It almost scared me on how fast I could forget it. How fast I forgot that there was a point in my life where I actually thought that I liked Cassidy.

Everything slowly started to return back to me. I had asked Ally to be my wingman. She agreed. The problem? I'm starting to feel that I was trying so hard to reach for the wrong girl. My brain struggled to even remember why I had any interest in Cassidy in the first place.

_She was hot, _my brain lamely supplied. But I couldn't help but compare the gorgeous blond to the familiar brunette who I was starting to see in a new light.

"Um," I stuttered out. Ally was looking at me expectantly. Squirming slightly, my brain reached for the simplest, unquestionable word. "Good?"

Ally's expression was unreadable. "Did-" it looked as if it pained her to even look at me. Before my mouth could open in a question, her words made it slam back shut. "Did you ask her out yet?"

_What? _I bit back the urge to yell. Ask her out? "No," I hoped Ally couldn't hear the fear in my voice. But my ears were buzzing as I raced for an excuse. "You're supposed to be my wingman right?" I mentally kicked myself in the head.

"Yeah," Ally's answer came out quicker than I would have imagined it. She straightened herself out, her mouth forming a forced smile. "And as your wingman, I say just go for it. She has to say yes."

Somehow, I managed to pick out the compliment she hid in there. The ego in me couldn't help but kick in. "And if she says no?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Then 'Houston, we have a problem'," Ally giggled. The tension immediately shattered between us. "Any girl would be a fool to reject you, Austin."

Ally must have realized what she said because her head immediately snapped down to stare at her feet. I couldn't help but gawk at her for a moment, my insides flipping upside down.

I honestly don't remember what went through my mind at that moment. But the slightest, tiniest thought peered in, growing until it took every part in my body from screaming it out loud.

_Would you be one of those fools?_

* * *

**OH. MY. GOSH.**

**Time just flies by, doesn't it. How long has it been? Way too long, for sure. I'm so, so, so SORRY! It seems like just yesterday when I last updated this story. Everyday I promised myself that I was going to sit down and write the best chapter ever for my AMAZING readers, but then exams and school just collapsed on me. Again, I'm SO sorry! I feel like I say this in every A/N, which is probably true. Anyway, thank you all again for being incredibly patient with me! You have no idea how much your support and just the fact that you take time to read my stories mean to me :D I love you all and I PROMISE that I'll try and update ASAP! **

**I think you all know what's coming up in the next chapter :D Get ready for a jealous Austin!**


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